Dawning Light
by Mistcloud-star
Summary: Dawn was just an ordinary girl. The oldest child in a family of fifteen. She wasn't going to do anything special. Then, she befriends Lloyd Garmadon and gets dragged into a world of ninjas, talking snakes, and amazing things that held power beyond anything she ever imagined. And she only had to make friends with a bratty ten-year-old to do it.
1. Rise of the Snakes, Home

_**Episode One- Rise of the Snakes**_

Villagers ran around, screaming in terror and shutting themselves inside their houses. The four ninjas ran inside the entrance to Jamonacai Village, brandishing their weapons. A large shadow appeared on the mountain behind the village. It got smaller and closer as the figure belonging to the shadow came nearer. It got closer... and closer... until finally, a small boy walked out from behind the fountain saying, "It is I! Lloyd Garmadon!" Following him was a bored-looking girl dressed in yellow.

"I demand all the candy in town or else!" Lloyd yelled as he hopped onto the fountain. The girl sat down at the foot of the fountain and watched Lloyd. Her gaze, though, constantly shifted around, as if she was watching for suspicious characters. She wasn't nervous; she was merely alert.

"_Lloyd_ Garmadon?" Jay said in disbelief. "I thought we were gonna face _Lord_ Garmadon."

"It's his _son_," Cole explained. "Looks like he escaped his Boarding School for Bad Boys again! Could've been doing spinjitzu already..." Cole swung his arms around as he walked towards Lloyd and the girl.

"Give me your candy!" Lloyd shouted. "Or I'll release the Serpentine on you!"

The villagers started booing as Kai, Cole, Jay, and Zane walked towards the two. The girl spotted the ninjas and her eyes widened. She stood up quickly and clambered up the fountain until she was next to Lloyd. Her muscles stiffened. Lloyd took a can out of his pocket and unscrewed the lid. Little plastic snakes came popping out of the container, but they only angered the villagers further. They began throwing things at Lloyd. The girl picked a snake off the ground, then stared at it and shuddered.

"No way!" Lloyd shouted. "I asked for candy, not vegetables! I _hate_ vegetables!"

"He's gonna have to do a lot better than using old bedtime stories," Kai said, picking up one of the toy snakes.

"The Serpentine are real, Kai," Zane said. "They are not something to joke about."

"Serpentine? Real?" Kai said. "We're talking about the ancient race of snake people who once ruled Ninjago and were supposedly locked underground."

"And sealed in five different tombs," Jay said, "to separate the tribes and ensure they don't unify and exact revenge upon those who put them there!"

"It was an old wives' tale," Kai argued, "to teach kids not to poke our noses where they don't belong. Don't you think it's a little suspicious no one's _ever _found one of their tombs?"

"That's because you'd be a fool to go looking for one!" Cole said as they got closer to Lloyd and the girl. "If there's anything I hate more than dragons, it's snakes."

The four picked Lloyd up. The girl's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything.

"Don't worry folks," Cole said as they carried the boy off. "We'll take care of this. Nothing to see here."

Lloyd struggled in their grips and shouted, "Bow down to me! Or suffer my wrath!" The girl just followed them, keeping her head down and not saying anything. She didn't even look up at the ninjas, just swept her eyes across the pattern of the stone ground.

"I'll give you 'til the count of three!" Lloyd yelled. "One... Two..."

"What are we supposed to do?" Kai asked. "Spank him?"

"Two and a half..."

* * *

><p>"Waah! You just made me your nemesis!" Lloyd struggled from a flagpole on a roof of one of the villagers homes. The girl crouched near him, keeping a wary eye on the ninjas, who were laughing. "Mark my words!"<p>

Zane flipped off his hood and walked to a small candy stand. He bought what was left on the table, then handed some of it to the other three ninjas.

"Next time, try paying for your candy," Cole said, grinning.

"Crime doesn't pay_, muchacho_," Kai said. "You can take that to the bank."

"Mmm." Jay teased Lloyd by eating some of his candy. "Cotton candy."

Lloyd growled and struggled while Kai addressed the girl.

"And you," he said. The girl stiffened and avoided his gaze. "Keep him out of trouble, okay?"

She nodded quickly and sat down on the roof.

* * *

><p>Kai hopped onto his dragon, knocking a scroll out of his bag. The scroll fell to the ground and Zane, who was nearby, picked it up. Kai jumped back down and took it from him.<p>

"I don't remember putting this here," Kai said.

"That's Sensei's bag," Zane remarked. "You must've accidentally took it in the rush."

Jay walked to them and said, "What is it?"

"It's a scroll, windbag." Kai frowned and unrolled it.

"I _know_ it's a scroll," Jay said. "but what does it say? It's written in chicken-scratch."

"Not chicken-scratch." Zane pointed to the symbols on the paper. "The ancient language of our ancestors."

"Uh, can you read it?" Kai asked.

"I can try," Zane replied. He pointed to a specific symbol. "This one means 'prophecy'."

"Prophecy?" Jay echoed.

"It means it tells the future," Kai explained.

"'Course. Ha-ha! I knew that."

"One ninja," Zane translated, "will rise above the others, and become the Green Ninja. The ninja destined to defeat the Dark Lord."

"Ooh, look, a picture!" Jay said excitedly.

"Dark Lord? Hold on, you think they mean Lord Garmadon?" Kai asked. Then, he looked more closely at the picture. "Wait a minute... is that _us_?"

On the scroll was a picture of six ninjas. One was dressed in red, another in black, a third in blue, the fourth in white, the largest in green, and the last in yellow.

"But, who are the green and yellow ones?" Jay asked, pointing to the two pictures.

"I do not know." Even Zane looked confused. "I have never heard of either a green or a yellow ninja."

"Is anyone else thinking what I'm thinking?" Kai asked.

"Like how good I'm gonna look in green?" Jay grinned under his hood.

"Huh!" Kai frowned, the two extra ninjas in the picture forgotten. "Isn't it obvious _I'm_ gonna be the Green Ninja?"

"The color _obviously_ suits me!"

"Technically, I am the best," Zane broke in.

"Hey, everyone stop it!" Cole cried. He walked to the bickering ninjas. "Remember why Sensei brought us together in the first place. We're a team. We weren't meant to see this and probably for good reason." He took the scroll from Kai. "Come on. Let's head back home. We have training to do."

"It's about time," Jay said, walking to Wisp, his dragon, "I added some finesse to my routine."

"Well, I could use some exercise," Zane admitted as he climbed onto Shard, his dragon.

"Yeah," Cole said. "I've gotta work on some new moves."

Shard, Wisp, and Rocky flapped their wings and flew off. Flame and Kai stayed behind for a moment.

"Could _I_ be the Green Ninja?" Kai wondered aloud.

* * *

><p>Far off on a snowy mountain, Lloyd grumbled and kicked a frozen pebble while he walked, the yellow-clad girl right behind him.<p>

"L-Lloyd, where are we going?" The girl asked through chattering teeth.

"I don't know, Dawn," he said. "But, we're gonna get revenge on those dumb ninja."

The girl, Dawn, rolled her eyes and rubbed her cold arms.

"Don't even see why I'm following you," she muttered. "I'm only s'posed to keep an eye on you, like that red ninja said."

"Yeah, but you still hung out with me even before we went to Jamonacai Village," Lloyd pointed out.

"I hate it when ten-year-olds are right," Dawn mumbled as Lloyd went back to kicking his rock.

"Stupid ninja. I'll show them who they're dealing with."

His pebble suddenly flew too far and hit something metallic. Lloyd and Dawn looked up in surprise. They walked forward and both climbed over a small wall of snow. The boy dropped to the ground and moved some snow to try and find his pebble. Dawn looked farther past Lloyd and gasped. A large flat rock was in front of them. Etched into the stone was a snake's head. Lloyd then found a little golden lever by his elbow. He pushed it forward and the flat stone began to split down the middle. Green mist rose from the inside of the mountain. Lloyd stood up and immediately lost his balance. He slipped over the edge. Dawn tried to grab his cape, and succeeded, but he and the force of him falling was too heavy for her. She fell down the crevice along with him.

"Why can't you be normal!" Dawn screeched on the way down.

When they reached the bottom, the pair hit their heads on a pointed piece of ice and tumbled onto the frozen floor. Dawn groaned and stood up, then helped up Lloyd. The boy looked around while Dawn closed her eyes and tried not to shiver even more. The two were in an icy cavern complete with frozen stalactites and stalagmites. The sound of dripping water echoed in their ears.

"You are out of your mindssss to venture sssso far away from home, little onessss," a low, cold voice said from behind them.

Lloyd and Dawn turned around and saw a snake-like figure holding a golden staff. Dawn squeaked in fear. She was deathly terrified of snakes.

"Look into my eyessss," the figure said. "Give up your mind."

Red waves began pulsing from his eyes, lulling Dawn into an almost hypnotic trance. They backed up and the snake followed.

"I will control you." Lloyd cowered against a stalagmite and sank to the ground. Dawn just looked at the snake with horror-stricken eyes.

Then,the snake looked at the ice that had collected on the stalagmite behind the humans... and hypnotized himself. Lloyd stood up, looked at the ice, then laughed.

"No," he said. "_I_ will control_ you _from now on!"

"What shall you have ussss do, Master?" the snake asked, bowing.

"Us?" Dawn echoed, shaking her head and fighting off the trance. She and the boy at her side looked around.

More snakes appeared from the shadows, scaring the living daylights out of Dawn. Lloyd, however, seemed delighted.

"My own army of snakes!" he cried. "Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

* * *

><p>"So then we all agree," Jay said. "The prophecy states that one of us will become the Green Ninja and the issue will not rest until it is decided."<p>

"May I suggest a tournament?" Zane asked. "Last man standing is the best."

"And will be declared the Green Ninja!" Kai exclaimed. "I love it!"

The boys pushed open the doors to the monastery and walked inside. Nya, Kai's sister, was busy running through the training court. She was doing great until she smacked into the flat side of an ax.

"Hey, Nya," Jay greeted the girl shyly as he leaned over her, his hood sitting on his brown hair. "Closer to beating your brother's speed record?"

He helped her up while she replied, "I'm getting there. Heard what happened in town. Just a false alarm?"

Kai walked to them and said, "Yeah. Uh, but we're gonna need the space. Sorry, sis."

Cole went to a closet on the side of the court and pulled out their kendo gear. He tossed each of the helmets to the others. Jay's helmet hit him on the side of his head.

"Two matches," Cole declared. "Then, the winners of each face off for the title. Armor's for our own protection." He raised his golden scythe. "Time to see what these babies can do!"

"Hey, Nya," Kai said to his sister when the ninjas were ready. "Wanna see me mop the floor with them?"

"No thanks," she replied. "I think I'll just visit Jamonacai Village. Knock yourselves out." And with that, she left for the village.

"Alright," Cole said. "First up, Kai versus Jay! Ninjaaaaa-Go!"

The two bowed to each other, then began the fight. They both fought wonderfully, but in the end, it was Kai who won.

"Next up," Kai announced, "Cole versus Zane! Ninjaaaaa-Go!"

Like Kai and Jay, Cole and Zane were great during the fight. And yet, Cole was victorious.

"For the prize and the title of best ninja," Jay said, bored. "Blah, blah, Ninja-Go."

Kai and Cole began, their golden weapons clashing and clanging. Cole swiped at Kai's head, then back-flipped a few feet. He slammed his scythe into the ground, creating a crack that knocked Kai into a wooden training post. Kai became angry and swiftly got up. He began crazily spinning around.

"It's too hot!" he cried, struggling with his sword.

"It's burning," Zane said.

"Fire!" Jay yelled.

Kai spun around and around until he dropped his sword, which caught on fire. The fire spread around and trapped Kai in a circle of flames. Jay and Zane flipped over the small wall of fire. Cole hastily tried putting the fire out by clanging his scythe on the flames. Kai ran around inside the tiny circle while Sensei Wu appeared, throwing open the doors and running outside. He picked up Zane's shuriken of ice and threw them in the air. He concentrated and the shuriken came together. They started generating ice and snow and flew around the courtyard, putting out the fire. They even doused the flames blazing brightly on Jay's rear. Then, the shuriken spun back to the Sensei and he caught them.

"What were you _thinking_?" Sensei Wu demanded.

"Uh," Jay began, "we were trying to figure who was the Green Ninja!" Zane whacked him sharply on his back. "Ow! Uh, did I say 'Green Ninja'? No, sorry." He cleared his throat. "What I... What I said was '_lean'- _Ah..."

"You were not supposed to see this," Wu sighed.

"But, Sensei," Kai said, "we wanna know. Which one of us is the chosen one?"

"None of you!" Sensei Wu turned around. "If you do not unlock your full potential."

"But, my sword, it was so bright!" Kai protested. "Is this what you meant by unlocking our Golden Weapons?"

"You are only at the beginning," Sensei Wu said. "And the road is long and winding. But, yes. This is what I meant. If this is what it must take for you to train, then so be it. But none of you are near the level of what it takes to be the Green Ninja."

* * *

><p>In Jamonacai Village, Nya walked to a fruit stand. She was about to pick up a pear, but screams and yells reached her ears.<p>

"What now?" she said, looking around.

"Take the candy!" a boy yelled as he pushed a wheelbarrow full of candy out of a house. A girl who looked around the ninjas' ages nervously followed him. "Take it_ all!"_

Then, two snake-like things came out behind the girl, one holding a glittering staff. The girl shivered each time the snakes' tongues flicked out between their fangs. The four passed by a group of villagers. Nya saw red waves appear from one of the snake's eyes. The villagers' own eyes became a dark red and they moaned.

Nya crouched behind the fruit stand as the two snakes left the girl and boy. She heard one say, "Thissss makessss no ssssensssse, General. Raiding an entire town? For_ ssssweetssss_?"

"You will do as I command," the larger of the two said firmly, turning around and jabbing the smaller in the chest. "Because _I_ have the sssstaff!"

* * *

><p>The boys trained with their weapons, each using them appropriately. Or... as appropriately as a boy could use something. Inside a room just outside the training court, Sensei Wu meditated in front of a burning pot of scented sticks. Smoke rose from the pot and showed the sensei an image. It showed Lloyd and a teenage girl walking through Jamonacai Village, followed by a group of snake people.<p>

Sensei Wu burst out of the room and cried, "The Serpentine are back! Everyone in Jamonacai Village is in danger!"

"Calm down, Sensei," Cole said. "We were just there. It was some kid and this girl who say they're-"

"The Spiritsmoke does not lie!" Wu insisted. "An ancient evil has been released!"

"Nya's there right now!" Kai said.

"Nya?" Jay echoed.

The boys ran to the dragons' stables and set out to Jamonacai Village.

"Stay close," Kai warned. "Stay together."

"Would we do it any other way?" Cole questioned.

* * *

><p>Lloyd and Dawn walked through the village. Lloyd was twitching and laughing crazily. Dawn was still hunched over in terror.<p>

"Ha-ha-ha!" Lloyd yelled. "I'm never coming down from this sugar high!"

Suddenly, the four ninjas of Spinjitzu leaped down in front of the two.

"Sorry to bust your buzz, little Garmadon," Cole said. "But it's way past your bedtime!"

Dawn looked up, her fear suddenly forgotten. "Hey, am I invisible?"

"Hey!" Kai said. "You were supposed to keep the little brat out of trouble!"

Her shyness kicked in then and she looked back at the ground, making a whimpering noise.

"Get them!" Lloyd exclaimed, breaking the conversation.

The largest of the snakes rattled his tail and hissed, "Get them!"

"The Serpentine?" Kai gasped. "They're _real?_"

The Serpentine closed in around the boys.

"It's not just them we have to worry about," Cole said worriedly. Villagers had joined the Serpentine and were walking with them, moaning and mumbling. "The whole village has been hypnotized!"

Jay began swinging his nunchucks, until Zane stopped him and said, "Our weapons are unstable! We could do more harm than good!"

"That leaves us with_ RUUUUUUUN!_" The ninjas dashed away.

They flipped and spun until they came behind a building. They slid along the wall and ducked behind a wheelbarrow.

"Nya?" Kai said as his sister suddenly jumped in front of the wheelbarrow.

"You're okay!" Jay said in relief.

"Barely," she said. "They've hypnotized everyone in town!"

"Mind control," Jay said. "How is this possible?"

"When you hear them rattle their tails," Nya warned, "don't look them in the eyes! That's how they get you."

"Well what are we supposed to do?" Jay demanded, raising his arms in emphasis. "We can't use our weapons and now we gotta fight with our eyes closed? Perfect."

"The snake with the staff is the general," Nya stated. "He's the one in charge. If we can get the staff from him, it holds the anti-venom. If we get that, we can save everyone!"

"Look guys," Kai sighed. "Forget about the whole Green Ninja thing. Let's make Sensei proud. The four of us. We're a team."

"Now you're talkin'!" Cole grinned.

"And Nya," Jay said to the girl, "you can be our honorary member."

"Gee," Nya said sarcastically, "_Thanks_."

They jumped onto the roofs and picked their ways back to Lloyd, Dawn, and the Serpentine. Kai jumped down first and was immediately targeted by two snakes.

"You wanna play?" Kai asked, turning around. "How 'bout a little Spinjitzu? Ninjaaaaa-Go!"

He spun into a mini-tornado of orange flames and moved towards the snakes. He suddenly whirled out of control and smacked into a wall, then fell down on the ground.

"Okay, we're _really_ out of shape," Jay said from the roofs.

Kai stood up quickly and thrust up his arms, whacking two Serpentine in the nose.

"Hah!" Lloyd yelled over his shoulder. "Consider this a warning, ninja!"

Dawn just shook her head and kept behind the troublemaker as Zane threw down his shuriken. Ice formed around the shuriken and Lloyd's wheelbarrow of candy bumped into them, tipping the wheelbarrow over. Lloyd fell on top of it, while Dawn didn't stop in time and ran smack into him.

"Ninjaaaaa-Go!" Zane yelled. He spun into a tornado of ice and sped down the roof and beside the two.

"Sensei was right," he said. "Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today. We should've dealt with you the first time around."

"Retreat!" Lloyd shouted as he struggled up.

"Retreat!" The snake general yelled.

The Serpentine began to run out of the village. Cole jumped down from the roof and hit the general in the face with his feet. The snake dropped his staff and it landed in the snow.

"Go ahead," Cole said as he bent down to pick it up. "Give me a reason."

The general slithered quickly away.

"Look into my eyessss," A cold, high-pitched voice said. Cole looked up. "I control you."

"You... control me," Cole mumbled. He was lured into a snake's trap, and his eyes turned scarlet. He then snapped out of the trance when Nya shouted, "Cole!"

She ran to the snake, then jumped up and kicked him in his face. Cole and the snake walked away in opposite directions.

"You have the anti-venom!" Nya cried.

Cole looked at the staff. "By golly, you're right!"

"Quick!" she said. "The fountain!"

"Good idea!" Cole ran to the fountain in the center of the village and stuck the staff in the water. Pale blue mist poured out of the water and flowed over the villagers, causing them to come back to reality.

Kai walked to Sensei Wu, who had arrived in the confusion. "We're sorry, Sensei. If we'd dealt with Lloyd and the girl before they became a problem, none of this would've been necessary."

"Even lessons learned the hard way are lessons learned," the sensei replied. "A great evil has been released. I fear troubling times will come. This is only the beginning."

"Then, we will train," Zane said, as he and the other two walked over. "And we will be ready for the Serpentine."

"It may not be Lord Garmadon," Cole said, "but that doesn't mean we won't bring our A-game."

"Help us train. Help us realize our potential." Kai placed a hand on Sensei Wu's arm.

"Yeah," Jay said. "Teach us the secrets behind the weapons of Spinjitzu."

"There is much to teach," Wu said as they walked back to the dragons. "We must go back to the monastery."

Nya sighed. "When am I gonna get _my_ own dragon?"

"Patience, Nya. Your time will come."

* * *

><p>"Candy," Lloyd moaned. "I need candy!"<p>

Dawn wrapped her yellow jacket tighter around her arms and glanced warily at the Hypnobrai. She still hated snakes. She shivered and tried to soothe Lloyd, though her mind was on something else.

"The boy and girl set ussss free," Slithraa said.

"They are children!" Skales insisted. "They are not one of us!"

Slithraa pushed Skales away in anger. "I may not have the sssstaff, but I am sssstill your general! Sssstand down!"

Skales walked away and was met by Mezmo.

"You coward," Mezmo hissed. "We all know he issss under Lloyd'ssss sssspell. You are second-in-command and still you do nothing?"

"Now was not the time," Skales murmured. "I still hold the key to destroy the ninja. And when I do that, everyone will ssssee it is I who should be in control!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Episode Two- Home<strong>_

_"My turn! Ah, my turn!"_

_"Okay, you want a little more? Take this!"_

_"Yeah, how 'bout a little of this!"_

_"Monkey-bar to the head!"_

_"Ninja roll!"_

_"Dragon punch!"_

Sensei Wu opened the doors to the training court and was surprised to find the boys practicing. But, although they were all training, Zane seemed to be acting differently. He stood, then started flipping around the courtyard. He took Cole's scythe and broke a plank dummy, then cried, "Ninjaaaaa-Go!" and began spinning around.

He somehow managed to freeze everything.

"This roof isn't big enough for the four of us," Kai grumbled.

"Correction," Cole said. "This roof isn't big enough for _him_."

"It's like he's in his own world." Jay frowned. Then, he directed his next words at Zane. "I bet he can't even hear us!"

Sensei Wu walked over to the three boys while Zane began throwing his shuriken around.

"Sensei, Zane's..." Kai paused to find the right words. "...weird."

"What is weird?" Sensei Wu asked. "Someone who is different, or someone who is different than you?"

"No, Sensei," Cole said. "He's 'weird, weird'."

* * *

><p><strong>Flashback<strong>

**Cole**

Cole was in the bathroom, reading a newspaper. Then, Zane walked in and began combing his hair.

"Do you mind?" Cole yelled.

**Jay**

Jay, Nya, and Zane were watching a movie. Jay and Nya were crying and sniffling.

Zane, however, was laughing. His friends turned to him with confused expressions.

**Kai**

Kai opened the fridge door, only to find it empty, with a note stuck to the back.

'_I'm sorry,' _It read in Zane's handwriting. _'I consumed the last of the deli meat. Cheese?'_

* * *

><p>The sensei and ninjas watched as Zane bowed to a plank dummy, only for it to whack him on the head.<p>

"We like the guy," Kai assured Sensei Wu. "He's really smart. He's just... a little off sometimes."

"Zane is a brother. And brothers are often different," Wu said. "I should know."

Outside the monastery, a mailman was walking tiredly up the mountain it was on. He wiped the sweat off his brow and continued walking. When he reached the top, he took off his bag and rang the doorbell, which produced a gonging sound.

"Mail!" Kai, Jay, and Cole shouted.

They answered the door and the man gave them their mail.

"Hah... let's see," he said. "A letter from Jay's parents... Kai has a fan letter... Oh! Something from Cole's father..."

"What, no package?" Cole said. "I'm expecting something from Creatures, Beasts, and Beyond!"

"No, nothing from... ah... Ah-hah! Here it is!"

"Ha! Rocky's gonna love this!"

Jay and Kai opened their letters. Jay looked up from the paper and noticed Zane walking around, a bit slumped over.

"Hey, Zane," he said, "how come you never hear anything from your parents?"

"I don't remember my parents," Zane replied. "I've been an orphan all of my life."

Kai and Jay exchanged looks.

"You mean you never had a home?" Kai asked.

Zane shook his head sadly.

"The monastery is your home now," Sensei Wu told him.

Zane just turned around and walked away and the sensei watched him leave.

At the dragon stables, Cole was opening his package.

"Liver and toads, Rocky!" Cole said, taking a dead toad out of the box. "Your favorite!"

He threw the animal to the panting dragon, who snapped it up and ate it in a few short seconds.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you hypnotizzzzed one of the ninja!" Rattla said excitedly. "Does the general know?"<p>

"Of course not!" Skales said impatiently. "He's been put under the control of Lloyd! And I plan to use it for my besssst interesssst."

Rattla looked behind Skales and walked away. Skales turned to see Slithraa.

"Everyone works while you two sssslack!" Slithraa hissed. "As my second-in-command, I expect more from you, SSSSkales!"

"Yessss, General!" Skales bowed.

Slithraa turned around and began to slither away, but Skales said, "General, you know I am most loyal to you, but I must question thissss childish agenda! The ninja have sssstolen our staff, yet you insssstruct your army to build this playhousssse for Lloyd and Dawn? Snakes don't belong in treessss."

"You know better than to question my judgement, SSSSkales!" Slithraa said. "I'll pretend you didn't ask!"

"Hey!"

The two Hypnobrai looked down. Lloyd and Dawn were standing on one of the lower platforms. Lloyd was waving and Dawn was staring out at the forest, a distant look in her eyes.

"If we plan to rule Ninjago from here, this elevator needs to have a trap door!" Lloyd yelled. "I want more booby traps!"

"As you wish, young Garmadon!" Slithraa bowed and gestured for Skales to start working on it.

"As _you_ wish... General." Skales bowed as well and walked away.

* * *

><p>"Oh, I love it when it's Zane's night to cook!" Jay smiled.<p>

"Hey, I didn't hear any complaints about my duck chowder last night!" Cole said.

"That's because it glued our mouths shut," Kai pointed out. "You really thought Jay was speechless all throughout dinner."

"Yeah." Jay crossed his arms. "Please don't make that again."

"Dinner is served."

Zane set down their dinner and looked around the table. He was wearing a pink, flowered apron. Everyone's faces changed expressions rapidly before they burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Zane asked.

"Zane!" Nya laughed. "You're wearing a... Well, even _I_ wouldn't wear that!

Zane walked to another end of the table. "You laugh because I take steps to ensure I am clean after cooking?"

"No," Kai assured him. "We laughed because you came out wearing that ridiculous outfit!"

"I guess we don't share the same sense of humor," Zane said.

"Well, how 'bout this?" Cole picked up a plate from the table and mushed it in Kai's face.

Everyone except Zane started laughing again and Sensei Wu got up from his seat and walked to Cole and Kai.

"How could you not find that funny?" Cole asked as Wu set a bowl upside-down on his black hair.

"Waah!" Cole's face grew shocked. The bowl's contents dripped down his face.

"Now you are brothers." Sensei Wu put his hands on Zane's and Cole's shoulders and walked back to his seat.

Laughter rang around the table once again. They began throwing food around the table.

* * *

><p>Zane stripped off his apron and placed it in the garbage can outside the monastery. He looked up at the stars, thinking. Then, a falcon's cry broke his thoughts. He turned to a tree near him. The falcon was sitting on one of the branches, looking directly at him. Zane tilted his head, and the falcon copied him. Zane shook his head, unsure if it had really done so. He looked back at the bird, only to see it shake its head as well.<p>

He gaped at the bird, then smiled, flapped his arms and stepped up and down. It once again followed his movements exactly. Zane watched it for a moment before it hopped along the branch and took off. Zane looked inside the monastery for a second then followed the falcon and began to run down the mountain.

* * *

><p>The bird led Zane through a forest, stopping every now and then to make sure he was following. Zane paused for a moment, then kept running, only to stop again and gasp. A brightly lit house-like building was in the process of being built in a tree. Normal at first, then he took a closer look. The Serpentine were the ones working on it.<p>

"If I see one girl besides Dawn in here," Lloyd said from his perch atop a board of wood, "I'm gonna go ballistic."

Farther up in the tree, the girl who had been with Lloyd in Jamonacai Village, who Zane assumed to be Dawn, since she was the only girl and Lloyd hadn't gone ballistic, was gazing at the forest. In his direction. Her eyes swept across the trees, coming to rest on Zane. She had spotted him. But, she only gave a faint smile and waved. He raised his arm and waved back.

Then, the falcon cried again and Zane looked up. It motioned for him to go back and tell his friends.

"Thank you, my mysterious friend," Zane said to it.

* * *

><p>The next day, Zane led Cole, Jay, and Kai through the forest, in the direction of the large tree house. Zane paused and looked around<p>

"How d'you think Zane knows where he's going?" Kai wondered aloud as they caught up with the white ninja.

"So, tell us again how you stumbled upon Lloyd's secret headquarters?" Kai asked Zane.

"I followed a bird," he replied.

"Why did you follow a bird?" Jay looked confused.

"Because it danced," was the answer.

"Oh. Okay. Was it a cuckoo bird?"

Cole, Jay, and Kai started laughing while Zane looked at them, confused.

"Of course not. Everyone knows cuckoo birds are not indigenous to these forests."

Zane began running again. The others shrugged and followed him. As soon as they reached the clearing where the Serpentine were, they heard Lloyd shout, "No, bigger! Come on, we don't have all day! It's not time for a lunch break!"

"Holy canolie," Cole said. "Frosty was right!"

"We can't let that brat, the girl, and those snakes get a foothold on Ninjago," Kai said. "We gotta destroy that thing before it becomes operational."

"I do not think Dawn is helping Lloyd to destroy Ninjago," Zane murmured.

"Who?" Jay asked.

"Dawn. The girl." Zane looked up at the tree and pointed out a girl dressed in yellow high up in the tree house. "See? She is not helping the Serpentine with construction and she even avoids them."

"Whatever," Cole said. "Alright guys, what do we do?"

"It looks like the entire place is being supported by those three trees." Kai pointed to three large trees on different sides of the tree house. "Once those are severed, the whole place is gonna fall like a house of cards."

"But why would one make a house of cards?" Zane asked. "Such construction would be careless."

"Oh brother," Kai sighed.

"Travel in shadows, boys," Cole said. He flipped towards the tree house and the others followed suit.

* * *

><p>Kai flipped out from behind a tree, then took out his sword and sliced a rope, flinging himself onto the tree house.<p>

Cole grabbed onto the wood at the bottom of an elevator and clung to it as two Serpentine were raised up to the tree house.

Jay and Zane were climbing up a tree. Jay landed on a branch and almost lost his balance, but Zane grabbed his wrist and hauled him up.

All four ninjas peered through the walls as Dawn and Lloyd walked around a corner.

"It's almost finished," Lloyd laughed.

"What is building this going to accomplish?" Dawn asked. Her blond hair was up in a ponytail and it swayed slightly in the breeze.

"Having a headquarters in the middle of the forest is a great idea!" Lloyd said. "Nobody knows we're here!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," she muttered under her breath. She glanced in the direction of the ninjas, apparently finding them.

"Soon," her friend went on, "my fortress will be complete. You!" He yelled at one of the Serpentine. It turned. "Hold up that sign!"

It complied, holding up a sign that said-

_No_

_Girls_

_Ninja_

Dawn seemed to take offense at the 'no girls' part. Lloyd pulled a lever. The floor under the snake gave way and it fell to the ground below, screaming the whole way down.

"Booby trap!" Lloyd yelled down the hole in the floor.

The ninjas jumped up through the wooden beams and boards and leaped through the doorway at the top of the tree house. Kai climbed to the very top while Cole, Jay, and Zane ran along the three ropes connecting the tree house to the supporting trees.

"Ninjaaaaa-Go!" Jay spun into his tornado of blue lightning and severed the first rope.

"Ninjaaaaa-Go!" Zane whirled into his ice tornado and sliced the second rope.

The tree house began to fall apart. Boards and ropes crumbled and snapped. Debris fell everywhere. A few stories down, Lloyd looked up and spotted Kai through the wooden beams of the higher levels. "I said no ninja! Attack!"

"Everyone!" Skales yelled. "Retreat!"

"Cole!" Kai shouted. "Wait 'til we're off the tree house! Then cut the line!

Cole nodded and Skales looked up at the sound of Kai's voice. He recognized Cole as the ninja he had hypnotized at Jamonacai Village.

"You," he cried, capturing Cole's attention, "will obey my every command!"

Cole's eyes turned a deep shade of red. He bowed to Skales and said, "I will obey your every command."

Dawn shrieked as one of the Hypnobrai fell onto her, knocking her to the ground. She threw it off in a fit of terror, then immediately decided on something she had been thinking about for the past week, ever since Lloyd's rampage on Jamonacai Village. She would go to the ninja and see if they would take her in. Ma had always wanted her to do something great, anyway. Might as well start now. Lloyd could take care of himself; he had done that before she'd met him.

Dawn didn't like snakes. It was a known fact. Ever since she had seen her first snake do the unthinkable (At least, it was unthinkable for an eight-year-old), killing a mouse by strangling it, and then having the audacity to _eat_ it, Dawn had hated and feared snakes. Even now, when she was sixteen, she was scared of them. It had even seemed like her fear had escalated over the years. But now, Dawn guessed, from the way the ninja were acting, they wanted to rid Ninjago of the Serpentine. And Dawn completely and wholeheartedly wanted to help them. She could _certainly_ help. A week of living with humanoid snakes that argued and brawled every five seconds had gotten her a tiny knowledge of fighting.

Dawn swept her hair behind her ears and took off for the top of the tree house, where she could clearly see the red ninja.

"Where's Cole?" Jay asked frantically as he and Zane jumped to the tree house roof. A yellow thing ran up the stairs behind, but he barely even glanced at it. He had more pressing matters to deal with.

"Oh, this whole place is coming down!" Kai yelled.

"Hyah!" With a flourish of his scythe, Cole leaped down from his perch on the tree and landed on the roof. "No one goes anywhere unless they deal with me!"

He advanced threateningly on Kai, Jay, and Zane who stepped back. Kai bumped into something and sharply spun around. The girl from Jamonacai Village, and the same one Zane had pointed out just ten minutes ago, was standing behind him, a mixture of fear and bravery on her slightly tanned face. Dawn, Kai remembered what Zane had called her.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Helping you!" she replied. "I know what happened to your friend!"

"Then, tell us!" Zane urged. "What's gotten into him?"

"It's the Hypnobrai!" she responded hurriedly. "He's been hypnotized by their second-in-command, Skales!"

"Yeah, well, he'd better snap out of it quick!" Jay yelled. "Because this whole place looks like it's about to go down!"

* * *

><p>"Don't go!" Lloyd begged Skales. "We have to protect my tree house fortress! And Dawn is missing!"<p>

"Your tree housssse? The puny girl?" Skales hissed. "It'ssss about we did... thissss!"

"What?" Lloyd only had time to say that one word before Skales pulled a lever and the floor under Lloyd disappeared, forcing the boy to fall into a cage a few yards under him.

He heard the stinging ring of Serpentine laughter in his ears as he fell.

* * *

><p>"Okay, now, come on," Jay said nervously. "Friends don't hit friends."<p>

Cole promptly thrust his leg up, kicking Jay in the face.

"Ow! Oooh, okay, okay, I'm going to ignore that."

Cole then began jumping around the tiny platform, swinging his scythe around. He yelled and struck a board next to Kai's feet, knocking the wooden plank off.

"What are we supposed to do?" Kai asked, dodging Cole's hits. "If I use my sword, this place'll go up in flames faster than a tinderbox!"

"isn't the anti-venom in the staff?" Zane queried.

"Yeah, but you guys took it from their general!" Dawn said impatiently.

Cole suddenly got in a blow to her stomach, knocking her back. She landed on the pole-like corner of the roof, slid down it, and lay there for a moment, dazed. Then, the wood broke and she fell. Zane lunged out and grabbed her by the feet. He swung her back up, saying, "Jay, use your lightning! Try to shock him out of his trance!"

Jay obeyed and took out his nunchucks. He began swinging them around. "Oh, sorry, Cole! This is gonna hurt you a lot more than it's gonna hurt me!"

He sent a concentrated ball of electricity at Cole, who fell back and let go of hid scythe. The four hesitated as Cole struggled to get back up. Then, the black ninja opened and his eyes. They were just as red as before. Cole got up and rapidly ran to Jay. He picked him up by his shirt and threw him over the edge.

Two cries of "Jaaaay!" were heard, as well as a third of "Blue ninjaaaa!"

Said blue ninja, however, grabbed onto a dangling rope and swung on it. He landed on the outside of the broken tree house and declared, "That is a _serious_ safety hazard!"

Cole turned sharply and ran back up the last rope holding up the tree house. He raised his scythe, about to swing.

"No, Cole, don't!"

"No! No, Cole, no!"

Suddenly, the sweet music of a flute reached all of their ears. Cole hesitated for a moment, hearing the flute. He closed his eyes and shook his head. When he opened his eyes again, they were back to their normal black. "Wha...? Where am I? What are we doing?"

Dawn swayed slightly to the soft tune and looked up. An old man and a teenage girl with black hair were riding a dragon towards them. Three weeks ago, if she had seen that, she would've freaked out for a good half hour before passing out and not waking up again for another two months. Now, after seeing walking, talking snakes, ninjas, and crazed, hypnotized villagers, she was able to watch it with her heart rate only quickening a little.

"We're gettin' outta here," the black-haired girl shouted down, "'Cause this whole place is coming down!" With that, Cole leaped from his ledge and landed right behind her.

Jay, Kai, and Zane followed suit. Dawn hesitated. What if they didn't want her to come along? What if they didn't care what happened to her? But, a sharp tug on her wrist and a smile from the blue ninja, who had quickly come back onto the roof from his seat on the dragon, was all that convinced her to jump on the dragon with them. The tree house crumbled as soon as her feet left the wood.

She landed in the back and wrapped her arms around whoever was in front of her. Dawn looked back and saw Lloyd in a cage, being carried by a few of the Hypnobrai. He stretched out his hand, as if trying to reach her and yelled something she couldn't hear. She fished a little piece of candy out of her pocket and threw it down. Miraculously, it landed in his outstretched palm. Dawn gave him a warm smile and hoped he would understand. The old man suddenly yelled something to the dragon, who flapped his wings harder and flew faster to wherever they were headed then.

* * *

><p>The first time Dawn had ever seen the monastery. And it was in flames. Tongues of fire licked at the aged wood of the once-grand building, destroying it to ash.<p>

"We're too late!" Kai shouted. "Those snakes!"

Below them, the three dragons who had been left behind roared and struggled in their stables.

Cole spotted his dragon. "Rocky!"

Flame, Kai's dragon touched down and everyone quickly got off. Cole hurried to his dragon. He pushed down on a lever and released them.

Kai looked up at the exposed inner wood of the monastery and pulled down his hood.

"Our home," he said.

"Shard!" Zane called to his dragon. "Put this out!"

Shard flew around the blazing structure and breathed ice and snow onto the flames.

"The training equipment," Zane murmured when Shard had completed his task. "Gone."

"Our video games!" Jay cried hysterically. "Gone!"

"They stole back their staff." Sensei Wu looked around, a tinge of anger in his voice.

"What do we do now?" Cole narrowed his eyes. Rocky put his head closer to the ground and rubbed his muzzle against Cole's cheek. The black ninja sadly stroked Rocky's nose.

Dawn just stared around in infuriated awe. The Hypnobrai had done this? She knew they were evil, but _this_ just made her want to walk up to Slithraa and strangle him.

Kai picked up a badly burnt chunk of brick and easily crushed it.

"If you hadn't followed that silly bird, none of this would've happened!" he accused Zane.

"Kai," Sensei Wu warned.

"No!" Jay stomped up to Zane. "Sensei, he's right! Because of you, my high score's been deleted!"

"This is a teaching moment." Zane glanced down. "We must learn from this."

"A teaching moment?" Cole seemed outraged. He put his face directly in front of Zane's. "What's wrong with you? Don't you get it? Everything is gone!"

"Enough!" Sensei Wu ordered. Everyone, including Dawn, turned to him. "We are_ all_ at fault. Zane is your brother. Apologize at once."

Kai, Cole, and Jay lowered their heads in shame. They turned around.

"I'm sorry, Zane," Kai mumbled. "I-"

He broke off. Zane wasn't there. Everyone turned to the sky. Instead, he was flying away on Shard.

* * *

><p>The Hypnobrai led Lloyd, who was now in chains, down an icy corridor.<p>

"Do something, General," Lloyd whispered to Slithraa. "You-Your're still under my command, right?"

Slithraa looked at the boy for a moment, then cried, "Enough! I am the general! You will return my staff at once!"

Skales looked at the staff and hissed, "No."

Muttering and mumbling broke out among the Hypnobrai.

"You dare challenge my command?" Slithraa demanded.

"Slitherpit... Slitherpit..." The Hypnobrai began chanting. "Slitherpit! Slitherpit!"

Skales smiled and nodded. "I guess we'll have to fight for it. In... the Slitherpit!"

Almost everyone began cheering. Lloyd just frowned.

* * *

><p>One of the Hypnobrai took the staff from Skales and carried it to a ledge above the others. Lloyd, who was now tied to a stalagmite, sighed and sat down. He took the piece of candy out of his pocket and looked at it. Carved into the candy was a 'D', for Dawn's family's last name, which was ironically 'Duskset'. When he had first met Dawn, a month ago, he only hung around her family's slightly famous candy shop. Then, Lloyd had gotten to know her better when she started coming out of the shop to give him leftover candy and talk with him. It had become a kind of awkward teenager-and-kid friendship. Lloyd then looked to his side and noticed a scroll of paper sticking out. He stood and reached out for it, only coming a few inches short.<p>

He glanced at the fight, in which Skales seemed to be winning, and tried again, still coming up short. _If Dawn were __here_, he thought. _She'd get it for me... I wonder what it is?_ He reached and stretched his arm. Just when he thought he'd never be able to get it, his fingers brushed up against the paper, and he grabbed it, tucking it into his back pocket.

"Go, General, go!" He cupped his untied hand around his mouth and shouted encouragement.

Slithraa's tail began rattling and red waves pulsed from his eyes. Skales looked taken aback. He spun around and kicked Slithraa in the face. He then threw a series of blows at the general, only to have them blocked. Suddenly, his entire body began to sway. He wriggled and moved. And he lunged, sharply kicked Slithraa in the chest, and bounced back. The general collapsed onto the ice floor.

"He used fang-kwon-do!" One of the crowd said in awe.

"Get up!" Lloyd yelled. "Get up!"

The general raised his head, then lowered it again.

"We have a winner!"

The judge handed Skales back the staff, and the snake's body began to change. Slithraa's did the same. Skales' legs disappeared and were replaced with a tail, while Slithraa did the complete opposite.

Cheers of "Skales!" rang around the room.

"You will be loyal to me, now!" Skales said to Slithraa.

"I... will do as you command, Slithraa said reluctantly.

"You!" Skales turned to Lloyd. "Leave and never return!"

* * *

><p>The remaining ninja, Dawn, Nya, and Sensei Wu were now on a nearby mountain. Wisp, Rocky, and Flame wear huddled together only feet away.<p>

The group of six were all holding sticks with burning food on them over a fire.

"Wh-what are we eating again?" Kai asked.

"Mudnewt," Dawn said thickly.

"Not bad for something that lives underground," Cole muttered.

"Wha...!" Jay threw his stick down and spat a mouthful of mudnewt bone into his hand. He tossed the bone into a can. "Yeah! New high sc-score!"

"So..." Dawn twirled her stick around her hand. "Let me see if I got your names right... Cole?" She pointed to the black ninja, who nodded. "Kai?" The red ninja gave her a half smile. "Jay?"

"The one an-and only."

"Nya?" The black-haired girl smiled and nodded. "Sensei Wu?" The old man closed his eyes and nodded as well. "And there's Flame, Wisp, and Rocky..." The three dragons snorted. " And the ninja who left on Shard was Zane?"

"Yeah," Cole sighed.

"So..." Dawn said again. She turned to Sensei Wu. "Sensei, why was I allowed to stay?"

"I..." Wu opened his eyes. "I sense you may be beneficial to us in the near future. And, do you have anywhere else to stay?"

Dawn hesitated. Her home was still hers. She could still live there, but Ma and Dad had enough to deal with trying to handle the two pairs of triplets, the quadruplets, and the twins.

"I do..." She locked eyes with the sensei. "But I feel it will help that house if I stay with you. I can send a letter to my Ma and tell her this. I have a feeling she won't mind, after sixteen years of her telling me I was 'destined for greatness' or some other crap like that."

Sensei Wu smiled. "Then it is decided."

The boys looked uncomfortable at having another girl on the team, but they didn't say anything.

"Remember," Wu said. "We must be thankful for what we have."

"What _do_ we have?" Cole asked. "Our home is gone."

"Y'know," Kai spoke up, "I don't miss our home. What I really miss is Zane."

"Yeah," Jay sighed. "I miss Zane!"

"He seemed like a nice guy," Dawn murmured.

"He was," Cole said from his seat next to her.

"Zane?" Nya was the one to speak this time.

"Yeah!" Jay looked astonished. "Zane! Y'know, white ninja? The smart, strange one?"

"No!" Nya pointed to behind Sensei Wu. "Zane!"

Everyone turned and saw that Zane was indeed there, walking towards the group.

"Zane!" The boys cried in unison.

The group gathered in a semicircle around him.

"We're so sorry for everything we said" Jay said. "We're a team, and that means we're all responsible!"

"You don't need to apologize to me." Zane smiled.

"But, what about all those awful things we said?" Kai asked. "Isn't that why you left?"

"Of course not. I saw the falcon again, and I followed him."

"That's our Zane," Cole said.

Everyone, except Dawn, hugged the white ninja. Then, they released him. Dawn drifted to the back of the group, but Zane held out his arms and said to her, "You are part of our team now, right?"

Dawn smiled. She wrapped her arms around him and quickly hugged him. * She then walked back next to Nya, who said, "We're happy to have you back."

"Why? Is it my turn to make dinner?"

They laughed, and even Dawn giggled.

"Yes, Zane." Sensei Wu smiled gratefully. "We would love for you to make dinner."

"But I already made it." Zane turned around. "Come, I want to show you what I have found. I think you will all be pleased."

* * *

><p>"I can't explain it," Zane said, stopping and turning to face the team. "But, I feel a strange connection with the falcon. I think he's trying to help show us the path we need to take."<p>

Then, he led them around a corner. Sitting on the sand just a hundred or two yards away was a large ship, with a wooden dragon head on the front.

"Our new home."

His friends gasped at the magnificent sight.

"Do I smell pie?" Jay asked eagerly.

"Cobblerberry," Zane informed him. "Oh, and I made myrtleberry. And apple!"

Jay sniffed deeply and sighed. Then, he, Kai, Cole, Dawn, and Nya ran to the ship, yelling and shouting happily. Zane and Sensei Wu stayed behind.

"I am proud of you, Zane," Sensei Wu said. "One day, I promise. We will find your family."

"But... I've already found them."

"I feel there's more to you than meets the eye. There's something special about you, Zane."

"Sensei, will I become the Green Ninja?"

"It's too early to tell. And you may have more competition, soon. But, if it's in your path, you'll know. Come, now. It would be a shame to let them eat all that pie."

And Sensei Wu and Zane began walking to the ship.

* * *

><p>Laughter filled the dining room. All of the team were throwing food around and having a good time. Even Dawn seemed to be enjoying herself. The first time since the first set of identical kids had been born in her home. She looked around the table, at her new teammates, and wondered, just for a moment, <em>Maybe they're my family. Maybe we could all be friends. Maybe, for once, I can do something great.<em>

Unknown to any of the seven at the table, Lloyd was watching them, a map clutched in his hand and a hurt look on his face. He sighed, turned around, and began to walk away.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Oh... my.. *dies* 9,963 words. THAT'S how long this chapter was. I figured putting two episodes together would make it longer but, I didn't expect this! And, it took me most of the week to finish up! Hopefully, I'll have this as an excuse for not having the next chapter up in another week! XD So, what do you think of Dawn? Is she too perfect? Is she too plain? And what about the actual story? Was that okay? I'm kinda nervous, posting this, but I hope you'll all accept this story.

Oh... and that little thing, the *, I added... here's an explanation-

*shifts uncomfortably* I seriously considered deleting this part. I wanted Dawn to feel kinda welcome with the ninjas, but not entirely, so I thought about having Zane offer her hug, and that freakin' came along. I hope it was still okay.


	2. Snakebit, Never Trust a Snake

_**Episode Three- Snakebit**_

_Gong! Gong! Gong! _

"Evil doesn't sleep and neither should you!"

The five others in the room groaned and pulled their blankets over their heads.

"If you want to reach your full potential, you must treat each day as an opportunity!" Sensei Wu finished up his gonging.

"Okay, okay, we're up." Kai slid out of his bed and hopped to the floor, like the other three boys. Dawn, however, just burrowed her face into the pillow and refused to get up. Kai walked to the window on the other side of the room. "But if you want us to reach our full potential, shouldn't we get a full night of rest?" He pulled on the cord for the window blinds. The blinds just fell to the floor.

Dawn perked up. "Full potential?" She slid out of bed, and crashed to the floor. Her ladder was broken. She grumbled and stood up, rubbing her head.

"What's full potential?" Dawn asked once her head stopped throbbing.

"Full potential is what we call reaching peak mental condition," Sensei Wu explained. "These four are trying to reach it to become better ninja."

Dawn slumped over. "And I suppose I wouldn't be able to, because I'm not a ninja, correct?"

"It... would be possible."

She raised an eyebrow and dropped the subject.

Cole stretched and cracked his back. "You call that rest? I think my back has more lumps than the mattress!"

Jay walked to the sink and took out his toothbrush. "We were up so late, talking about how cool it is to have a new headquarters, I guess we lost track of time." He turned on the faucet and sand leaked out, instead of water, onto the toothpaste. Jay was too busy talking to notice, however. "Ever since the Serpentine burned down the monastery, I'm just glad we have a roof over our heads." He started to brush his teeth, but tasted the sand and immediately spat it out.

"You also spent a good hour interrogating me about my life," Dawn said, the memory fresh in her mind.

* * *

><p><strong>Flashback<strong>

"Okay," Cole said from his bed. "You may be in our team, but we're not trusting you until we learn what we need to know."

Dawn sighed and sat up, propping up her hard pillow behind her. "Ask away, I've got nothing to hide."

"How old are you?" Kai asked.

"Sixteen."

"What is your last name?" Zane said.

"Duskset."

"Whoa!" Jay's face lit up. "Duskset? Like the owners of the famous 'Rising Sun Candy Shop' in Ninjago City?"

"Exactly that. The owners are my Ma and Dad."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Cole questioned.

"Yup. Six sisters and six brothers."

"What do you know about Spinjitzu?" Kai spoke again.

"Um... Just that when you spin around really quick, you turn into little tornadoes of different elements." Dawn smiled. "It's really cool."

"What are your siblings' names?" Zane asked.

"Let's see... the first triplets, April, May, and June. Then, there's the second triplets, Angeline, Angela, and Angelica. And the twins-"

"Okay, okay, maybe we'll ask later." Jay's eyes were wide at the sheer number of siblings she had.

Dawn blushed a bright shade of red.

* * *

><p>"Yes, but we found out a lot about you," Zane pointed out. Then, he turned to Sensei Wu and asked, "What is our lesson today, Sensei? Mastering the strike of the scorpion? Or perhaps the great- Oh!" He crashed through the floor, sending up wood splinters and dust. The five teenagers gathered in front of Sensei Wu.<p>

"I think today's lesson will be... chores," Wu said.

"Chores?" The boys cried in unison.

"Chores?" Dawn smiled. "I'm good at chores. I got to practice a lot with my brothers and sisters, and when I lived with Lloyd and the Hypnobrai."

"Then you will help them with their chores," Sensei Wu said.

"Ninja fight, Sensei," Cole protested. "They do not clean."

"In order to respect ourselves, we must respect our new home, and where we are from. And this place is a long way from becoming a ninja headquarters. I expect things to be spotless when I return." Sensei Wu turned to leave, but turned when he was in the doorway. "And put your backs into it." _Gong!_

Cole helped Zane out of the hole in the floor.

"Ugh, this place is gonna take forever to clean and fix up," Kai groaned.

"Unless we put more than our backs into it," Jay suggested, a mischievous smile on his face. "Huh?"

All the boys smiled in realization.

Dawn frowned. "I don't like that look on your face. What are you planning?"

"You'll see," Cole promised.

Her frown lessened a bit.

* * *

><p>"Ninjaaaaa-Go!" Cole, now in uniform, began to whip around the room, picking everything up as he passed.<p>

He spun out of the room and off the ship, then deposited the junk with a sign labeled, _Garage Sale._

* * *

><p>Kai kicked open a door and he and Zane jumped in. The two looked around, then Zane took out his shuriken and threw them to the wall farthest from them. The shuriken stuck in the wood and ice formed around them, freezing the room in seconds. Kai pulled his sword from his back. The gold caught on fire and Kai touched the sword to the icy walls. The frost melted instantly.<p>

The two ninjas yelled, "Ninjaaaaa-Go!" and spun around the room, melting the ice and cleaning up the room.

* * *

><p>Jay walked up to a large sheet covering a wall of machinery. Cole and Kai sat behind him, working to fix a smaller machine. The blue ninja ripped off the sheet, then took his nunchucks out and spun them around. He struck the giant machine with his nunchucks, and it whirred to life. Lights turned on in every room. The two behind Jay noticed this and high-fived each other, apparently thinking they had turned the electricity on.<p>

* * *

><p>Out on the deck, Zane, Kai, and Cole were struggling to open the sails. Jay and Dawn stood behind them, the latter watching their progress and sweeping up the dust and dirt.<p>

"Ninjaaaaa-Go!" Jay spun into a tornado of lightning and blew the rest of the dust away.

Dawn pouted. "Hey, I had the dust covered!"

"My way was faster!"

"Was not!"

* * *

><p>Sensei Wu and Nya walked into the room that had the most noise coming from behind it. Five figures were in the room, four playing a video game and the last studying the TV screen intently.<p>

"What took ya so long?" Kai turned away from the screen with a grin.

"Wow!" Nya said. "This place looks... amazing! You guys did all this?"

"Well, they did most of it," Dawn admitted. "They somehow managed to clean up everything before I could help." She sighed. "Maybe I need to start studying Spinjitzu, too." Her tone was light, but her eyes told a different story.

"And ninja don't just fight, Nya," Cole said. "We clean!"

"You have exceeded my expectations," Sensei Wu complimented. "But, can you keep it?"

Nya walked to one of the windows and looked out. A broken-looking car was driving its way towards the ship. "It looks like we're about to have some visitors! And loud ones at that!"

Jay turned to her, a frown on his face.

"Oh, it's my parents!" he moaned. "Please, if they start yapping, just don't get 'em going, okay? They don't know when to quit! And if you start talking, then they'll start talking, and suddenly, half the day is gone before you know it, and it's not even-"

"We get it!" Kai interrupted. "They talk a lot! Cherry doesn't fall far from its blossom..."

* * *

><p>Outside, the car stopped in front of the ship, bumping into the junk Cole had put outside. The driver said to the lady siting next to him, "Take a note, Edna. Either better brakes or a better bumper." He looked to the front of the car and took off his cap and goggles. "Oh! Would ya look at all this great stuff! They can't just get rid of it! Heh, we should've brought the trailer, Edna!"<p>

Edna took off her cap as well and scolded him. "This ain't a flea market, Ed! We're here for Jay!"

Ed closed his eyes and put a hand to his ear. "What was that? Didja take the note?"

"I'm writing it down, Ed."

"Mom! Dad!" The two turned to the ship. A teenager dressed in blue was walking down a ramp on the side of it. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh look, it's my baby boy!" Edna stood up, joy on her face. "It's been so long since we heard from you!"

"Ma, I called you two days ago!" Jay frowned. The six others on the ship gathered behind him.

"Well, it's not soon enough, son!" Ed and Edna got out of the car and walked to him. "When are ya coming out to the junkyard? Ya say you're comin' and- and ya don't."

"Dad, do we have to talk about the junkyard in front of my friends?" Jay said, embarrassed.

"Oh, he hates when we tell people he was born in a junkyard." Edna smiled.

"I think it's cool," Dawn mumbled.

Edna looked at her and said, "Oh, you're so adorable! Does my son like you? I bet he does. Jay, she' s a-" Then, she spotted Nya and forgot all about Dawn. "Oooh, and who are you? You are _so_ cute! You're just my son's type."

Dawn scowled and Jay groaned, "Mom!"

"It's a pleasure meeting you," Nya said. "I'm sure if you want, Jay can give you the tour. He worked very hard on it."

"We'd love a tour!" Ed and Edna cried in unison.

Jay put a hand to his head and sighed.

* * *

><p>"And this is the bridge," Jay announced as the group of nine stepped into another room. "This extends into a periscope." He hopped to something sticking out of the ceiling and pulled it down. "This tells us what's going on in Ninjago." He spun it around and jumped to a machine sitting on a nearby table. "And this... if a Serpentine's not giving us the answers we want, and we're up late at night-"<p>

Dawn looked around. Jay had added more since the last time she'd been in there, which was only a few hours.

"No," Jay's voice broke her thoughts. "A cappuccino machine." She looked up as he put a cup under the spout and pushed it down, making coffee come out.

"Amazing, son!" Ed smiled. "We're so proud of you."

"Why don'tcha tell 'em about the button?" Cole walked to a button on a pedestal and pointed it out.

"Heh, heh, heh." Jay pushed Cole's hand away. "It's not ready, yet."

"Oh, what's the button?" Edna looked excited.

"He's working on a special defense system," Zane said.

"Something every ninja headquarters needs," Kai said.

"Really?" Ed walked to the pedestal. "What is it? Oh, can I help?"

"No!" Jay pushed his father away gently. "It's okay! I don't need your help, Dad. Let's just leave it alone." Then, he raised his wrist to his face and said, "Hey, look at the time!"

Dawn raised an eyebrow. He was going with _that?_

"Don't you need to get back before it's dark?" Jay began pushing Ed and Edna towards the entrance of the bridge. "I told you, there's dangerous Serpentine out there."

Ed sighed. "I... suppose we could get back."

"Edna, it was a pleasure hearing about Jay's first potty time." Cole walked over to them and put a hand on Jay's shoulder.

"Oh, if you thought that was good, wait till you hear the story about the time I caught him kissing his pillow!" Edna reached up to pinch her son's cheek, but Jay pushed her hand away.

"Snakes, Ma!" he said. "Snakes!"

"Okay, we're going, we're going."

Ed and Edna walked out the entrance, the rest of the group following.

* * *

><p>Ed started up the engine for the car.<p>

"So, you promise to come to the junkyard and visit your mother and father?" Edna asked quickly.

"Yes, I promise," Jay said exasperatedly. "But only if you leave. I don't want you to get hurt. It's getting dark. Ah... your headlights are working, right?"

Two intensely bright beams of light came from the front of the car, making everyone groan and cover their eyes.

"Eh heh." Ed leaned back against the leather upholstery. "Like 'em? I used a little extra juice!" The lights flicked off and Ed pulled away saying, "Bye. son! I couldn't be more proud!"

"And bring Nya, with you, will ya?" Edna shouted to her son. "I can see why ya like her!"

"Mom!" Jay moaned.

Dawn frowned.

"She barely even noticed me," she grumbled under her breath.

"Now that they have left," Sensei Wu said, turning to Jay, "perhaps Jay can teach us the art of... kissing... pillows."

It was enough to make everyone but Jay and Dawn laugh.

* * *

><p>Ed and Edna sped along on the road.<p>

"I don't think he's coming, dear," Ed sighed.

"Stop it, Ed." Edna smiled. "He's coming."

"Ah... he doesn't need us anymore. I just have to... remember that. Eh, write it down for me would ya?"

"Oh... lights, dear. It's getting dark."

"Right!" The road in front of the car grew bright. "Thanks, sugarplum."

* * *

><p>Deep in the woods a few miles away, Lloyd trampled through grass, dead, leaves and rocks. He held an unrolled map in one hand, and a flashlight in the other.<p>

He came to a cemetery-like place and, without a second thought, walked through the entrance.

"It's not scary," he mumbled to himself. "Um... maybe just a little... But, I like scary! Yeah... That's it... I'm the son of the Dark Lord! I love the dark!" As Lloyd talked, he walked deeper into the cemetery, turning around occasionally. "Why, I eat this stuff for breakfast!"

Something snapped. Lloyd looked up and yelled. He frantically shone his flashlight in front of him, and felt his heart calm down. It was just a tree. Nothing else. He resumed his walking.

"I'm gonna make those Hypnobrai pay for betraying me. I have to find the Fangpyres. If there's _anything_ a snake doesn't like, it's another snake." He stopped in front of a giant tree in the center of the cemetery. "Here! By the mutated tree! I found it!"

Lloyd knelt down and swiped his hand through the mist, waving it away. The mist cleared, revealing a stone floor with many designs, the largest being a snake with two heads.

"Soon, the Serpentine will know who their master is!" he said. "And it will be I, Lloyd Garmadon!"

Thunder rumbled the entire place, and Lloyd cowered and yelled again. He opened his eyes and pushed a button on the floor. The double-headed snake design flew into the floor, and many red and white things popped out. Lloyd yelled for the third time and tried swatting them away. His flashlight went out. Hissing rang in the boy's ears and he turned around sharply. A two-headed Serpentine holding a golden staff like Skales' own hissed and shook his head.

"And who-" the first head said

"-May I say released us-" the second said.

"-From our captivity?" the first finished.

Lloyd cowered yet again and said, " Ll-Lloyd. I r-released you to make the Hypnobrai pay for betraying me." He picked up the map and held it up so the snake could see it.

"Hypnobrai?" the second mused.

"Those hypnotizing deceivers," the first hissed.

"It will be-"

"-Our pleasure!"

"Oh... good!" Lloyd smiled, all traces of fear dissolving. This was going how he had hoped it would. "I'll lead the way. And after that, there's some ninja I want dealt with."

"Sounds like," the first head murmured.

"You know-"

"-What you want!"

"But, the Hypnobrai are strong. And we are few in numbers."

"We need-"

"-Reinforcements!"

"What'd you have in mind?" Lloyd asked.

The snake heads hissed gleefully.

* * *

><p>Ed and Edna pulled up to their junkyard, which was named <em>Ed and Edna's Scrap 'n Junk. <em>Ed parked the car next to their trailer and turned on the lights.

"Home sweet home," Ed said as he and Edna pulled off their caps.

They climbed out of the car and Ed picked up a toolbox, walking to a large robot-like machine.

"And, back to the grind."

"Oh, sweetie, you've been working on that thing day and night!"

"Well, ya never know when Jay may show up!"

"Oh, you're right. Ya never know!" Edna walked into the trailer and Ed began working on the robot.

Suddenly, Ed heard something whistle past him. He stopped welding the metal and pushed up his mask.

"Uh, Edna?" he called to his wife. "Was that you?"

Edna opened the trailer door and shouted, "What, Ed? Are you hearing things again?"

"You turned on the security alarm before ya left, didn'tcha, hon?" Ed became worried.

Edna frowned and walked to the power grid. She flicked on a few buttons, which sparked a little, but nothing really happened.

"Oh, it must be broken," she said.

And everything turned off. The entire junkyard went dark.

"Whoever's there-" Ed cupped his hands around his mouth. "-my son knows Spinjitzu!"

Something hissed behind one of the junk piles and a shadow appeared on the wall behind it. Ed dropped his things and ran to Edna, who said, "What is it? Why are the lights out?"

"Call Jay, hon!" Ed said frantically. "Someone's broken in!"

"How 'bout we wait 'til he calls _you_!" The couple turned and looked up. A small boy dressed in black on the roof held up their phone, the twisted cord split. A double-headed, red snake holding a golden staff stood next to him. "Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

"Ed!" Edna said worriedly.

"Be strong, Edna!" Ed said. "I won't let them hurt you!"

"If we plan-" the first head said.

"-To attack-" the second head said.

"-The Hypnobrai-"

"-We must grow-"

"-Our army!"

"And, uh, how do we do that?" the boy asked the snake.

"Let's just say..."

The snake's four white eyes glittered evilly.

"We Fangpyre bite off more-"

"-Than we can chew."

"Have at it boys!" The first head yelled.

With vicious hisses, more red and white snakes, this time with legs, poured out from behind the junk piles. They crawled onto various broken vehicles and sank their over-sized fangs into the metal. Green venom spread from the puncture marks, and with many blasts of venomous smoke, the vehicles became alive, with fangs, eyes, and tails.

"My creations," Ed gasped. "They're turning them into-"

"An army?"

The couple gasped and turned again.

"You are correct," the second head said.

"But we can also-"

"-Turn... _people_, too."

Ed and Edna hugged each other in fear.

* * *

><p>Back on the ship, Jay was working on the button.<p>

"Sure got a lotta junk piling up," Kai said as he and Zane walked past Jay. "If only there was a place where we could get rid of it."

"If you don't mind, I'm trying to focus," Jay said.

"Oh, hey!" Dawn said cheerily. A piece of paper covered in scribbles was in her hand. "Ma and Dad want to know if I'm coming to the shop later!" She picked up a pencil from the table she was sitting on and lazily scrawled more loops on the back of the paper. "Sure, I'm going to..."

"Hello?" Jay said, getting annoyed. "Again, _trying to work_ here."

"Hi, Mom and Dad." Cole stood behind Jay, holding a phone to his ear. "Of course. I'd love to visit. What kind of son would I be if I didn't wan-"

Jay interrupted him. "Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha. I'm know what you're trying to do." He stood up and faced the four. "Okay, okay, look. I might have promised to visit my parents. But, there's a lot of stuff on my plate!"

Nya suddenly opened the door to the bridge and walked through it.

Jay noticed her, then wiped the oil and grease off his face and said shyly, "H-hi, Nya."

"You gonna visit your parents today?" Nya stopped walking by the ninjas and Dawn.

"Oh! Uh, s-sure am!" Jay stuttered. "Just about to leave!"

"Tell them I say hi!" Nya left.

Dawn, Kai, Zane, and Cole gave Jay a look.

"What?" Jay spread his arms. "So my plate's not _that_ full."

* * *

><p>Jay tugged on Wisp's chains. "Agh... uhn... come on, Wisp! It'll be a quick visit!" He ceased tugging. "Just in and out. Nothing more."<p>

Sensei Wu walked up to Jay. He held a giant thermometer in his hands. "Hmm. It's just as I suspected. The dragons are molting." Jay dropped Wisp's chains. "They are shedding their scales."

"What does that mean?" Jay asked.

"Every adolescent dragon goes through a transformation before it becomes an adult."

Wisp snorted in agreement.

"We must allow them to migrate east to the Spirit Coves, for their transformation," Sensei Wu continued, as the rest of the ninjas, Nya, and Dawn came over to the two.

"Will we see them again?" Jay asked.

"It is hard to say." Sensei Wu looked up at Wisp. "But we need to allow them to follow their path."

"Rocky's going east?" Cole stopped walking and let the other four keep going, then walked to his dragon. He hugged the dragon's muzzle. "Say it isn't so, Rocky."

Zane fondly patted Shard's nose. Kai and Nya walked to Flame, and Dawn stayed behind with Sensei Wu; she didn't have a dragon of her own.

"Well-" Jay rubbed the back of his head and came to Nya. "I guess I gotta go on this _long_ walk all by myself. Sure would be nice to have _company._"

Nya nodded.

"Of course we'll go, buddy!" Kai looked over Flame's muzzle.

"I could use a break!" Cole joined them.

"All you had to do was ask," Zane said.

Jay, for the second time in as many days, put a hand to his head and sighed.

* * *

><p>Flame, Wisp, Shard and Rocky flew past the group of seven trudging along the road. Sensei Wu was playing his flute. Dawn had her eyes closed. She was smiling and humming. She walked in front of the group, tripping every once in a while.<p>

Cole looked up at the rapidly fading shapes of their dragons and frowned.

"Hah..." Jay sighed. "Of all the days to lose our ride."

"That flute." Zane appeared at Sensei Wu's side. "You never told us why it's so special."

The sensei stopped. "Long ago, there were many flutes, created to combat the powers of the Serpentine and drive them underground. But, over time, Ninjago's forgotten its ancestors' wisdom." As he spoke, two birds flew above the seven. "And now, this is the only one."

Suddenly, Sensei Wu whipped around and began playing it again, startling Jay for a moment. The two birds landed on a nearby rock.

"I get the lesson," the blue ninja said, brushing past Dawn, who opened her eyes and stopped humming. "Respect your elders or suffer the consequences. Boy, you guys are layin' it on thick."

Sensei Wu chuckled. "Perhaps you are only hearing what you need to hear."

Jay stopped walking. In front of him, the entrance to _Ed and Edna's Scrap 'n Junk_ stood dimly.

"What is it?" Nya walked past Dawn as well and halted beside Jay.

"It's quiet." Jay pulled on his hood. "My family's never quiet!" He began running to the junkyard, everyone following him.

They gathered in a little section of the junkyard where the ground wasn't covered in junk. The seven were absolutely silent. Then, Dawn whispered to Jay, "The broken fridge."

The blue ninja nodded and ran to said fridge. He Kicked upward at the metal pole blocking the door and opened it. Inside, his parents were chained and duct-taped.

"What happened?" Jay asked frantically. He took the tape off his mother's mouth. Small fangs protruded from her gums. "Who did this?"

"Oh sssssweetheart," Edna said. "Ya came!"

Jay then took the tape from his father, who also had little fangs.

"Oh, ya gotta get outta here!" Ed said. "It's the sssssnakes!"

"The bite of the Fangpyre!" Sensei Wu said. "Once they sink their teeth, their venom can turn anything into a Serpentine!"

Ed and Edna hopped out of the fridge while Dawn's eyes grew big.

"Th-that's even worse than the Hypnobrai!" she said.

Sensei Wu nodded. "It's only a matter of time before the full transformation is complete!"

A sharp hissing sound suddenly rang in everyone's ears. They turned to see a large wrecking ball... with a snake-like face. The Fangpyre were walking by it, letting out hisses of glee. Dawn stifled a scream of fear. _More_ snakes. Oh, this just kept getting better and _better_.

The ninjas got into a fighting positions.

"Uh, is that wrecking ball staring at me?" Cole asked.

The wrecking ball promptly swung around, headed straight for the nine humans.

"Duck!" Jay yelled. He pushed his parents out of the way as everyone else dove in different directions. A large cloud of dust came up at the wrecking ball hit the ground.

"Thanksssss, son," Ed said when the dust had cleared.

"Lloyd!" Sensei Wu exclaimed.

Dawn started at the name of her friend. She looked up and saw the boy smiling evilly. He was standing next to a two-headed snake.

"Hello, Uncle," Lloyd sneered. Then, he noticed Dawn and waved. She hesitantly waved back. "Looks like we're not the _only_ family reunion. I'm glad you brought the ninja. I could use some help taking out the trash." He closed his eyes and raised his hands. "Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

"If we want to turn your parents back," Nya said to Jay, "we need the anti-venom from the staff!"

The wrecking ball swung around again.

"Second dose!" Cole yelled. "To the dirt!"

They scattered again.

"Easier said than done, sis," Kai said, putting a hand on his sword. "We're a bit outnumbered." He took the sword out.

"Nobody messes with _my_ family!" Jay took out his nunchucks and rushed towards one of the Fangpyre.

He leaped in the air and brought the nunchucks down, forcing the snakes back a bit.

"Ninjaaaaa-Go!" Jay spun into his lightning tornado and rammed into the Fangpyre, blowing them away.

The wrecking ball once again came towards him, but the ninja ducked under it and kept going.

Three more cries of "Ninjaaaaa-Go!" were heard as the wrecking ball got caught in a pile of junk. Kai, Cole, and Zane scattered the Fangpyre like Jay had done.

Dawn and Nya kept the Serpentine away from Sensei Wu, who was playing the flute and causing the Fangpyre to halt and cover their ears in pain. Nya was fighting much like the ninja, but Dawn could only throw feeble kicks and punches.

_Gah!_ She thought, kicking a snake and pushing him back a few inches. _I stink at fighting!_

Nya took care of the snake she was fighting and quickly dealt with the rest of them.

"How'd it go, Sensei?" Nya asked, running toward the old man. Dawn sadly looked down as she followed the girl. "I think we make a pretty good trio."

A sudden blast of rock music caused the three to look up. Lloyd was now standing next to a boombox, which was hurting Dawn's ears with the volume of the music.

"Young nephew!" Sensei Wu yelled, pointing his walking stick at the boy, "Must I teach you whose side you should be on?"

Lloyd just turned up the volume even more, making Dawn flinch, then yelled back, "Sorry, Uncle! Can't hear you!"

Unbeknownst to the three, a Fangpyre quietly crept up to the sensei. _Clang! _The snake was knocked out by a frying pan wielded by Edna.

"Ha!" Ed shouted. "Way to go, Edna!"

"_Ninjaaaaa-Go_!" The four ninjas whirled into their tornadoes and scared off a little group of Serpentine behind a junk pile. While the ninjas followed them, the snakes jumped onto a large robot and sank their fangs into the metal.

As quickly as the ninjas turned the corner, they stopped. A large rumbling shook their feet. They looked up, just as a large, green robot appeared behind the junk pile. Its ruby eyes glowed menacingly.

"Gah!" Jay raised his nunchucks. "What_ is_ that thing?"

"It was, uh, supposed to be in your honor, son." Ed fiddled with his hands. "Uh, do ya like it?"

The robot lurched forward.

"Thanks!" Jay yelled. "But, no thanks!"

The four turned and ran as the robot swung its log-nunchucks down, sending up a dust cloud. They looked back, then watched where they were running. The wrecking ball had gotten out of the junk pile and now looked at them, glowing a green, venomous aura.

"Oh, why'd you have to be born in a junkyard?" Cole shouted.

"I know!" Jay replied. "Tell me about it!"

The wrecking ball swung towards them yet again. Three shapes flew out of the dust and landed safely on the ground.

Kai looked around. "Uh, wasn't there four of us?"

Dawn looked up and gasped. Jay was swinging bravely on the wrecking ball. He stood on the ball of metal, then jumped in a graceful arc and landed on the roof of the control area. He swung down and kicked out the Fangpyre who was controlling it, then took hold of the joysticks. He looked down and scratched his head. A snake face with yellow eyes hissed at him.

"Let's see if I can work this," Jay said as he began to control the wrecking ball.

Cole blocked a blow from the robot with his scythe. "Don't worry! I've got it!" He struggled to keep his scythe up.

Jay suddenly swung the wrecking ball at the robot. It flew into the walking metal, which crashed in another pile of junk. He then got down from the machine and joined the other ninjas.

"I told you I had it!" Cole said, irritated.

Lloyd peered down at the robot, then at the ninjas, who took out their weapons and brandished them threateningly.

"Retreat!" he yelled.

A Rattlecopter flew up to the boy and the double-headed snake. All the Fangpyre and mutated machines ran and hopped away.

"He's getting away with the staff!" Nya cried.

"Right now would be a good time to have those dragons," Jay sighed.

"I... I..." Ed put a hand on his son's shoulder. "I... It'sssss okay, ssssson."

"There is still a way," Sensei Wu said.

"How?" Jay asked.

"Part of reaching your own full potential is understanding your weapons' potential! Once it is in tune with the focused heart, its secrets and powers can be unlocked."

"Oh! This is _not_ the time to be cryptic!" Jay said.

"He's saying our weapons are vehicles themselves," Zane corrected.

"Cool," Dawn murmured.

"Don't tell me I have to ride this like a broomstick," Kai said, looking down at his sword.

"Jay, concentrate on unlocking your Golden Weapon. Let your heart guide you!" Sensei Wu said quickly. "Imagine you're taking flight."

Jay looked down at his nunchucks. He closed his eyes, then began swing the nunchucks around. Lightning flashed down, and the ninja was engulfed in a pale blue bubble. Everything went white for a moment, then it just as quickly disappeared. In place of the bubble was a blue and silver jet.

"Whoa!" Jay yelled. "Ha-hah! Did I just do that?"

Kai looked at his sword, then closed his eyes and began swinging it around. Flames spread along the length of the sword and Kai threw it into the air. He rose on a small hill of earth and there was an explosion. When the smoke cleared, Kai was sitting on a large motorcycle-type vehicle.

Zane lashed out into thin air with his shuriken. The small pieces of metal shot out ice that formed around Zane, making a similar shape to Kai's motorcycle. The ice glowed, and with the rev of an engine, it broke away. Zane now sat on his own motorcycle.

Cole whipped his scythe around him. The scythe rose into the air and tendrils of rocks swirled around Cole and his weapon. A large hill of dirt covered the two and with a flash of golden light, Cole's scythe transformed into his vehicle.

"Ha!" he shouted. "I'd hate to hurt Rocky's feelings, but I think he's just been replaced!"

Dawn watched in awe as the four took off on their vehicles, leaving Ed, Edna, Sensei Wu, Nya, and herself behind.

"Does your flute turn into anything?" Nya sked Sensei Wu.

"I wish," he said.

* * *

><p>Something blue shot past the Rattlecopter carrying Lloyd and Fangtom.<p>

"Oh! What the heck was that!" Lloyd cried.

"Whoops!" Jay chuckled. "Heh heh heh. Overshot that a little." He turned around and headed for the Rattlecopter again."

He lined up the Rattlecopter with the center of the screen and said, "Let's see what this baby can do." He pressed a button.

The jet began to bounce out of control. Fangtom and Lloyd ducked as the jet hurtled over them. Fangtom shook it off, then looked at his hand.

"The staff!" his second head yelled.

"I got it?" Jay looked at the staff in a daze. "Ha! I got it! Ha-ha-ha!"

Suddenly, the jet gave a mighty shake and transformed back into nunchucks. With an "Uh-oh." and a yell, Jay began to fall towards the sandy ground.

"Jay! You have to concentrate!" Kai shouted.

"I caaaaan't!" Jay shouted back.

"I think we're gonna have to catch him," Cole said. "I got him."

"No, I got him!" Kai swerved.

"He's mine!" Zane zoomed ahead.

The vehicles all collided, sending the ninjas up into the air.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!" Jay then landed in a car. He tumbled into a seat between Dawn and Nya, who was driving.

"Ehehe..." Jay shook his head. "Nice catch."

"Ooh," Edna said. "I knew I liked thisssssh girl."

Jay felt Dawn slump back into the leather seat and heard her grumble something.

"Everyone!" Fangtom's second head shouted to his army.

"Attack!" yelled his first head.

With loud revs and angry hissing, the mutated vehicles and Fangpyre surged forward. Zane, Kai, and Cole picked up their weapons.

Kai shook his sword as the car stopped behind the ninjas. "Why isn't it working?"

"Your weapon is merely an extension of your mind!" Sensei Wu called from the car. "If your mind is immobile, so is your weapon."

"Oh boy," Ed hissed. "Oh gosssssh. Oh golly. Get in boysssssh!"

"We need to get back to headquarters!" Jay told Nya as the three other ninjas climbed aboard the car.

She nodded and slammed her foot on the accelerator, the Fangpyre in pursuit.

"Look!" Lloyd yelled. "They're getting away!"

* * *

><p>The ninjas, Sensei Wu, Nya, Dawn, Ed, and Edna ran up the ship's ramp.<p>

"Come with me," Nya said to Ed and Edna. "Once we reverse the venom, we can fix you." The three ran into a lower room.

The ninjas, Dawn, and Sensei Wu ran into the bridge.

"Man your stations!" Jay ordered. "Everyone!" He ran to the button.

Kai looked out a window. The Fangpyre were getting rapidly closer. "Jay! We better hurry!"

"I've been waiting for this moment." Jay slammed his hand down on the button. Nothing happened.

The other four looked around.

Kai yelled, "They're gaining on us!"

* * *

><p>Ed and Edna each took a cup held out by Nya.<p>

"Bottomsssssh up," Ed said before downing the anti-venom.

A pale golden light shimmered over the couple, turning them back to normal.

* * *

><p>"Agh!" Jay repeatedly hit the pedestal over and over. "I don't get what's wrong! I spent forever on this. It's supposed to work!"<p>

Ed walked up behind him and said, "Ah, son? Maybe I can help."

"Dad!" Jay exclaimed. "Y-you're okay!"

"Heh, darn tootin'," his father replied, bending over and working on some of the wires. "Oh, let's have a look. Ah-hah!" Ed stood up after a few seconds. "That should do it! Now try it!"

Jay nodded and pushed the button. Dawn heard a loud whistling sound. The ship shook and the roar of a rocket reached her ears. She stumbled forward into Nya as the ship somehow flew into the sky. Nya stumbled as well and accidentally let go of the staff. It bounced out the room and over the ship's railing. It conked a Fangpyre on the ground below. With another roar, the ship blasted off.

The Rattlecopter flew low to the ground and Fangtom picked up the staff from where it had fallen.

"These ninja-" Fangtom's second head hissed

"-They must be stopped!" the first finished.

"Oh..." Lloyd shook his head. "Tell me about it..."

* * *

><p>The ninjas' ship, the Bounty, flew gracefully over the clouds.<p>

"We'll get you back to the junkyard just as soon as the coast is clear," Jay told his parents. "But... stay as long as you like. It's nice, having you here."

"Oh, take a note, Edna," Ed said. "Of all our inventions, _this_ one is our greatest."

Edna threw her notepad behind her. "I already know, dear."

The family then hugged. Sensei Wu watched them from a distance, then was interrupted by Dawn.

"Sensei," Dawn said. "I... I've been thinking..." The sensei raised an eyebrow. "Could... could you teach me... Spinjitzu?"

"Why, child?" he asked.

"You saw how horribly I fought back at the junkyard." She raised her head, locking eyes with him. "I want to be able to defend myself and my friends. Please, Sensei. Teach me."

Sensei Wu thought for a moment. Could this girl possibly be the fifth ninja, the yellow ninja? Could she be the wielder of the final Golden Weapon, the fifth weapon he had hidden away? Wu had assumed the fifth ninja would be a male, after the first four were. After he had found Kai, Cole, Zane, and Jay, no other boy showed the power of light, which was an element like the boys' own. Dawn, though she was a girl, however, gave off an aura like the boys', but hers was bright.

The ninja of light.

Sensei Wu finally nodded, making Dawn brighten. "Of course. We shall begin right away."

"Oh, thank you, Sensei!" Dawn bowed happily and hurriedly, then followed him as he walked away.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Episode Four- Never Trust a Snake<strong>_

A dark shape flew by in the desert. It landed on a telephone wire by the road, now a falcon, then looked directly at Zane.

"Wake up, Zane," it said in a deep voice. "I know where you come from."

Zane quickly lifted his head up, waking, and smashed it on the bottom of Kai's bed. With a gasp, he rolled out of his bed. He looked out window and smiled. The falcon was out there. He noticed that the other boys and Dawn, who had started training with Sensei Wu to learn Spinjitzu, were not in their beds.

* * *

><p>Zane opened the door the the bridge and walked in.<p>

"The hunt starts early today," he remarked.

"A watchful eye never sleeps. " Sensei Wu looked up from his paper.

"As long as Lloyd and the Serpentine roam freely, "Nya said, "no one in Ninjago is safe."

"Where are the others?" Zane asked.

"Training on the upper deck," Sensei Wu answered.

Zane walked out of the bridge and to the upper deck, only to find it empty. He noticed the swirling clouds around the ship, which meant they were flying. A chirping sound caused him to look up, though. The falcon was sitting on the top of the mast.

"You were in my dream, little friend," Zane said. "Last time I saw you, you led me to good fortune. What reason have you returned?"

The falcon chirped again, then flew off. Zane began running, following the bird until it flew past the ship and Zane could not follow it. The white ninja continued watching it, however, until a dark presence alerted him.

"Lord Garmadon," Zane said as he turned around. "But, you were banished!"

"Only to return for the weapons of Spinjitzu," Lord Garmadon said. He pulled two silver swords off his back. "Soon, I will have the power to re-create Ninjago._ In my own image_."

Suddenly, Zane couldn't move properly. It was as if he was in slow motion. He jumped as Lord Garmadon swung his two swords, and the ninja landed behind the lord of darkness. and whipped out his shuriken.

"Give me your shurikens of ice!" Lord Garmadon growled.

"You'll have to take them from me!" Zane said. With a cry of "Ninjaaaaa-Go!" he spun into his tornado and moved towards Lord Garmadon, who caught Zane by the front of his pajamas.

Garmadon flung Zane back into a pile of metal and machinery.

"So be it," he whispered, slicing a rope.

At the end of a rope was a large crate directly above Zane. Once the rope was severed, the crate came hurtling towards the ninja. Zane looked up, then raised a hand to his face instinctively. He closed his eyes... and didn't feel the crate. Zane opened his eyes again and saw a blur of green and yellow holding the crate up. The blur moved, and Zane could then clearly see it.

"The Green Ninja," Zane murmured. And it was true. The Green Ninja stood before him, glowing with a faint yellow light, not unlike what surrounded Dawn's tornado of light whenever she attempted to use Spinjitzu. "The legend's true."

Zane then turned his attention back to Lord Garmadon. The lord of darkness brandished his swords and flipped towards the two ninjas. The Green Ninja moved with agility and attacked Lord Garmadon in mid-flip. The ninja stood in front of Zane, who watched in awe. Lord Garmadon narrowed his red eyes and rushed towards the Green Ninja, who jumped up and landed on the flat sides of Lord Garmadon's swords. The ninja was hurled towards the mast, and he swung around the width of the mast. He dodged Lord Garmadon's swords and whirled into a green tornado. His yellow glow never faded, even with the tornado.

Zane was dumbfounded as he witnessed the Green Ninja then fight Lord Garmadon with nunchucks like Jay's. The Green Ninja finally ended the battle and flung Lord Garmadon off the side of the ship, into the clouds. Zane looked to the other ninja, who's eyes were now burning like fire. He held a ball of flames in his right hand, and the falcon sat calmly on his left arm.

"Who are you?" Zane asked. He got up. "Kai? Is that you?"

Something black flashed in front of his face. And again.

"What's the meaning of this! Who _are_ you, Green Ninja?"

And again. Over and over, black shapes shot by close to his face, until he was surrounded by dozens and dozens of falcons. The Green Ninja just stood there, watching him.

* * *

><p>Zane woke with a start, hitting his head on the underside of Kai's bed.<p>

"Oh, sleeping in?" Jay's voice reached his ears. Zane opened his eyes and saw the three other ninjas already awake. "You're gonna be late for training. Dawn's been out there since four in the morning."

The white ninja sat up in his bed. "How come no one awakened me?"

"We didn't think you wanted us to," Kai answered. "Looked like you were having _some_ dream."

"How do I know _this_ isn't a dream t-" Zane was interrupted by Cole whacking him in the face with a pillow.

"Does that _feel_ like a dream?" Cole grinned.

"No." Zane rubbed his head. "Thank you for your help."

Cole, Kai, and Jay laughed.

* * *

><p>The boys walked out onto the upper deck, where bright flashes of light could be found. Zane blinked and saw Dawn whirling around in her bright, yellow tornado. She stumbled and messed up every once in a while, but overall, she was doing pretty good, for only training for a week or two.<p>

"Ha-ha-ha! A little slow today, huh?" Kai said to Zane.

Dawn heard him and stopped spinning. She stretched and walked to the four. Zane saw that she was wearing a ninja suit similar to their own, with the exception of it being yellow. A golden boomerang with sharp tips was strapped to her back.

"Morning, guys," Dawn greeted them.

"Hey! You're a ninja now?" Kai asked.

She nodded, a smile on her face. "Sensei gave me this boomerang thing and this suit and gave me a lecture on how being a ninja is a big honor and requires great responsibility or whatever last night. Then, he spent a good hour teaching me how to use the boomerang." She patted the boomerang fondly, then asked curiously, "Why's Zane a little slow?"

"He had a dream," Cole replied.

"What exactly did you dream about?" She looked confused.

"I saw the falcon again."

She blinked and Jay said, "Whoa, Zane, every time you see that bird, something big happens. First, it led you to the secret tree house and Dawn."

"Then, it led you to the Bounty," Cole said.

While they were talking, Sensei Wu walked out onto the deck and stopped in front of them.

"Alright," he said. "Stretches. First, the swooping crane." He turned around and assumed a pose.

The five ninjas copied him.

"This time, it showed me the Green Ninja," Zane whispered.

Three shouts of "The Green Ninja!" were heard, as well as a whisper of "The Green Ninja?". Sensei Wu turned around and saw Cole, Kai, and Jay in various shocked positions.

"That looks like the shocked monkey," the sensei said. "Bad form. More focus." He turned around and posed again.

"You can't just drop a bomb like that," Jay said. "Spill the beans."

Dawn listened quietly. Maybe she could figure out who the Green Ninja was by listening.

"Yeah, what else did you see?" Kai asked.

"He was fighting Lord Garmadon," Zane answered.

She remembered Lloyd telling her something about Lord Garmadon. He was... Right. He was Lloyd's dad.

"That's what the prophecy said." Kai nodded. "That the Green Ninja would defeat the Dark Lord. But, did you get a chance to see which one of us was him?"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah, didja see?"

"I could not tell," Zane said. "He shared attributes each one of us possess. He even had Dawn's light."

"Now!" Sensei Wu crouched low to the ground. "Pinching crab!"

They copied him and Dawn spoke up.

"So, the Green Ninja might be me?"

Zane shrugged. "He had your light, so it may be possible."

"Well," Kai said. "Tell us everything! And don't spare any details. There has to be a clue that tells us which one of us is gonna be the Green Ninj- Ow, ow, ow! Hey!"

While Kai had been talking, Sensei Wu had walked up to him and pulled his hair.

"What was so important to ignore my teachings?" the sensei asked.

"Uh, nothing?" Kai said.

"It was nothing, Sensei!" Jay shook his head.

"We were listening!" Dawn smiled.

"Yeah, we don't talk while you teach," Cole insisted.

"Everyone was paying attention," Zane said.

"Since you all appear to be lacking focus," Sensei Wu said, "Then you can _all_ share in the punishment!"

"What?"

"Punishment?"

"Aww!"

"It was all Zane!"

"I was merely answering their questions!"

"No free time, and no video games," their sensei said. "The rest of the day can be used for training.. And_ tomorrow, _for that matter..."

He began walking away.

"Training?" Kai complained. "For how long?"

"Until you can answer this simple riddle." Sensei Wu turned around. "What is the best way to defeat an enemy?"

"Easy! With a sword!"

"Your fists!"

"Planning the battle beforehand!'

"Spinjitzu!"

"Tornado of Creation?"

Sensei Wu sighed and walked up the stairs. "Pace yourselves. You have a lot of training ahead of you. Make sure you sharpen your mind, as well as your Spinjitzu."

The ninjas lowered their arms and their whole bodies drooped for a moment. Cole walked to a box full of training gear. He pulled out a sparring stick and sighed, "What's the best way to defeat an enemy? ... It could be anything!"

Jay set up the training equipment and began using it. "Come on, guys, we're smart. We can figure this out."

Kai threw a blow to a punching bag, then looked up. Sensei Wu had gone. He, Cole, Jay, and Dawn gathered around Zane.

"Yeah, but let's hear more about this dream," the red ninja said.

"Let me just say," Zane began. "The Green Ninja is awesome!"

* * *

><p>The entire Fangpyre army marched across the white snow. The mutated vehicles led the way. Lloyd shouted orders to the army and watched their progress to the Hypnobrai lair eagerly.<p>

Far ahead, the Hypnobrai army marched forward, with Skales at the front.

"The Hypnobrai," Lloyd muttered. He raised his hands from where they were resting on Fangtom's tail. "Now, we teach them a lesson for betraying Lloyd Garmadon! Um... do your thing, Fangpyre!"

"Attack!" Fangtom's second head shouted.

Lloyd's ears almost burst from the roar of the Fangpyre and the Hypnobrai armies. Both tribes charged forward, until Skales saw Fangtom. He stuck his staff in the ground as Fangtom jumped off the vehicle he was on and slithered to him.

"Skales, my old chum!" Fangtom's first head exclaimed.

"I didn't think I'd be fighting_ you_!" his second head said. He bumped fists with the new Hypnobrai general.

"Mmm, moved up in the world, have we?"

"Well, if it isn't the Fangpyre!" Skales hissed, a snake-ish smile on his face. "Of all the cold-blooded to creep up on ussss! I'm glad that it is a friend."

"Wait," Lloyd said. "I thought you were enemies. Not friends!"

"We _were_ at war." Fangtom turned around. His second head spoke. "But, seeing as how Skales is leading them, well... I don't see why we can't be comrades."

"Had you released the Constrictai," Skales said, "the Venomari, or, heaven forbid, the Anacondrai, _then_ we would've had a tussle."

"A tussle? A_ tussle_?" Lloyd yelled. "But, I'm Lloyd Garmadon! Bringer of evil!"

The Serpentine generals chuckled.

"What should we do with him?" Skales asked Fangtom, loudly enough for Lloyd to hear.

"I could turn him into one of us."

"Hmm... nah. The little tyke is pretty useless."

"What if you hypnotize him, and make him think he is a pig?"

"That would be_ pretty_ funny!"

The two Serpentine generals laughed. While they were distracted, Lloyd climbed off the mutated vehicle and began running. He stopped for a moment and realized the Fangpyre were slowly cutting off his escape. He hopped onto the tail of another mutated vehicle, which felt him and threw him off. Lloyd landed face-first in the snow a few yards away.

* * *

><p>"-With his fist on fire,"Zane concluded.<p>

The four listening ninjas "Ohhh"-d and Kai mused, "So,_ I'm_ the Green Ninja."

"What are you talking about?" Cole said. "He had incredible strength to lift the cargo and save his life. It's me."

"Um, hello?" Dawn put her hands on her hips. "Were you even _listening_? He _or she _was glowing yellow. Everyone knows I'm the only one that glows!"

"Did you miss the part of the story where the guy pulled out nunchucks?" Jay took out his nunchucks. "I have nunchucks!"

"I think you are all missing the point of this dream," Zane said. The four looked at him. "The point is, the falcon flew on his arm, and it was my dream. So, naturally it's me."

"I think we can cross_ Cole_ off the list," Jay said. "I could lift it ten times!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, cross me off the list?" Cole said. "What about Dawn? The Green Ninja had to have been a guy, so _she_ can't be him!"

"He or she was glowing!" Dawn protested. "_I_ glow! _Kai_ doesn't glow, so _he's_ out!"

"The Green Ninja was holding fire! It's _me_!"

And Kai, Cole, Zane, Jay, and Dawn began arguing.

"Since you are not training-" The five broke off with little jumps and turned around. Sensei Wu was walking towards them. "You must have already found the answer to my riddle. What is the best way to defeat an enemy?"

"Uh..." Kai thought for a moment. "The best way to defeat your enemy is to... train, Sensei?"

"Feeble and incorrect!" The sensei said. "Maybe more training will help you focus. Remember what happened to your vehicles when you lost focus." As he spoke, he backed into a lower part of the ship. "A razor-sharp weapon is an extension of a razor-sharp mind." And with that, the door slammed shut.

The ninjas sighed.

"How am I supposed to focus when we don't know who the Green Ninja is?" Jay whined.

"I don't want to be training all day," Cole said. "Let's work together on this riddle."

* * *

><p>"Had you released the Constrictai, the Venomari, or heaven forbid, the Anacondrai, then we would've had a tussle." Lloyd mocked the Serpentine generals as he walked across the desert. He lowered his map and immediately saw a large, off-white fang marking the desert. "I found it!"<p>

He ran to the door just under the fang and brushed away the sand and dust.

"The Anacondrai," Lloyd whispered. "The most feared and powerful Serpentine of them all! If they're afraid of the Anacondrai, then the Anacondrai is what they're gonna get! Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

He opened the doors and walked inside. He had become braver over the past three weeks that Dawn had been gone. She used to fight for him, and protect him, but not anymore. He puffed out his chest slightly as he thought of his bravery in even thinking of releasing the Anacondrai. Dawn would never have been able to do that. Speaking of his old friend's bravery, he had seen her battle with the Fangpyre back at the blue ninja's parents' junkyard. She had, he noted, taken on a Serpentine-like way of fighting, with the Hypnobrai's gait and the Fangpyre's moves. She still sucked at it, though.

Lloyd realized it was dark, then, and became proud of himself for remembering to bring a flashlight. He flicked it on and swept the beam of light around. The light fell several times on snake-like skeletons, making the boy shiver slightly. He walked deeper into the cave, until the sunlight from the door eventually disappeared. And then he heard it.

Something hissed in his ear.

With a yell of fright, he tumbled head-over-heels and let go of the flashlight.

The boy sat up and was immediately met by a purple face with glowing pink eyes.

"My sincerest apologies, young man," the Anacondrai snake said with a bit of a British accent. He picked up Lloyd's flashlight. "Due to my unfortunate appearance, I tend to have an unsettling effect on people." Lloyd stood up, and the snake handed him his flashlight. "Oh, I believe you dropped this."

"Oh... um... thank you," Lloyd stammered. He turned the light on once again. "What happened to the others?"

"Poor unfortunate souls," the snake said. "All those years, locked away, with nothing to eat. Must've slowly starved away, until they were just scales and bones." The snake's stomach rumbled and Lloyd set the beam of light onto it. "And who may you be, my little appetiz- err... I'm mean, _friend_?"

"Lloyd Garmadon. Son of Lord Garmadon. And future Dark Ruler!"

"Oh!" The snake laughed. "How deliciously evil! If I had feet, ooh, I'd be trembling in my boots!"

"And, uh, who are you?"

"Humbly, I am Pythor, P. Chumsworth," Pythor said. "And since you've freed me, I'm eternally in your service."

"Really?" Lloyd was intrigued. Forget the Hypnobrai and Fangpyre! This Anacondrai dude, Pythor, was his _servant_! Dawn would be _so_ jealous. Then, he remembered what the two other tribes had done. "You're not gonna trick me?"

"Oh, why would I trick you? I hardly have any friends."

"Whoa! I hardly have any friends, either! Well, I _do_ have _one_, but she joined the ninja."

"_She_? Oh-ho-ho, is she your special friend?"

"Wha...! No way, no way! She's six years older than me!"

"You don't say!" Pythor said. "And, why did she join the... ninja?"

"I dunno..." Lloyd suddenly thought of a_ brilliant_ plan. "Hey, how'd you like to be my loyal henchman? I've been betrayed by the Hypnobrai, and the Fangpyre, and I'm looking to get some revenge on the ninja my friend joined."

"I _love_ revenge!" Lloyd turned to see Pythor holding his arms in a fan-girlish way. "Oh, you know, Floyd-"

"It's Lloyd," the boy corrected.

"Whatever. I have a feeling this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

* * *

><p>"Has <em>anyone<em> figured it out, yet?" Dawn's voice broke everyone's concentration. The four boys looked up to see her sitting on the edge of the Bounty. "I'm beginning to think we're _never_ going to be able to answer it."

"It can't be that hard," Jay said as the boys resumed training and Dawn resumed staring quietly at the ocean. "What's the best way to defeat an enemy?"

"Zane, you're smart." Kai threw blows to a punching bag. "What is it?"

"I do not know," Zane said, balancing on one leg. "But, I sense that Sensei is going to keep us here until we can work together and find an answer."

"That bothers me," Cole said, spinning a three-foot-long wooden pole around his body. "'Cause while we're working here, that means the enemy is playing." He slammed the pole into the ground, sending slight vibrations up everyone's feet and legs, and causing Dawn to jump in fright and fall over the edge.

The boys burst into laughter as she hauled herself back up, her hair and clothes soaking with seawater and a murderous glint in her eyes. She narrowed her eyes and charged at Cole. While she chased the black ninja around the deck, she wondered briefly what Lloyd was up to, and hoped he was staying out of trouble.

* * *

><p>Not getting into trouble was far from what he was doing now. Lloyd was instead perched on the front of a scooter, <em>causing<em> trouble. Pythor was pushing the scooter along with the end of his tail.

"Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Lloyd laughed as the pair knocked over crates and boxes.

Then, they went on a rule-breaking montage, which involved Pythor taking a 'No Walking on the Grass' sign out of the grass and Lloyd proceeding to roll over it, the two taking over an ice cream cart, throwing pebbles at little boys' boats and sinking them, and _actually_ taking candy from babies.

Then, laughing semi-evilly, semi-gleefully, they traveled back to the Anacondrai fang.

* * *

><p>"You're the best henchman a mastermind could <em>ever<em> have!"

Pythor chuckled, low and deep. "Oh, Lloyd, you're the best _mastermind_ a _henchman_ could ever have."

Lloyd laughed, a bit loopy on candy.

"Why is it that you have so little friends?" Pythor suddenly asked, catching the boy off-guard.

He hesitated. "Well, I could've had more friends, back in my Boarding School for Bad Boys, but I decided to run away and never let them see me again!" He waved a cone of cotton candy around. "Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha!

"Really... Ah, why would you run away from making friends? Everybody needs friends. Even tyrants!"

"Well... um... uh... maybe I didn't run away... Maybe I, uh, I... got kicked out..."

"From the Boarding School for Bad Boys?" Pythor and Lloyd sat up. "I don't believe it! I hear they are _the_ breeding ground for the truly despicable. And if you ask me, ho-ho, you are a _handful_!"

Lloyd smiled, then frowned slightly. That's what Dawn used to call him whenever he got into trouble. Then, the memory floated away as he realized Pythor was complimenting him- in his eyes, at least.

"Well, thank you, Pythor," he said. "But, they told me I wasn't bad enough. I said I 'lacked the immoral ambition to be one of tomorrow's masterminds'."

"Well, you'll show them!"

The pair stood up.

"That's right! I _will_ show them!"

"Then why _don't_ we?"

"Uh... 'why don't we' what? Lloyd said slowly.

"Let's get revenge on the very school that rejected you!" As he spoke, Pythor lifted Lloyd into the air. "When the ninja come to the rescue, we'll have a trap laid out for them!"

"A double revenge?"

"A double revenge. Get some rest. Hijacking an ice cream truck is a lot for anyone! And if you're going to rule the world, well, ho-ho-ho, you'll need to get your sleep! Oh... and one more thing..."

"Yes?"

"_I'll_ be your friend."

With a yawn, Lloyd hugged Pythor and settled his head on the snake's long neck. "Oh, Pythor. You're the best."

Pythor set the boy on the floor again, and Lloyd immediately curled up on the ground, the map sticking clearly out of his pocket And he fell asleep.

* * *

><p>The door to Sensei Wu's room burst open and five heads peeked in. Dawn was at the very top of the door frame, her blond hair drooping down. She was trying extremely hard not to fall and crack open her head.<p>

"Huh?" Sensei Wu looked up and spotted the ninjas. "You must've found the answer to what is the best way to defeat an enemy."

The ninjas filed into the room in a semi-circle and Cole said, "We have, Sensei. It's- on three, guys- One, two!"

With a chorus of "Teamwork!", five hands were placed together.

"Is this what you all think?" the sensei asked.

"Yes!"

"Yeah!"

"Correct!"

"Yup!"

"Absolutely!"

"Sadly... you are all wrong!" Sensei Wu went back to his paper and his students groaned.

* * *

><p>Cole, Kai, Jay, Zane, and Dawn left the hallway where everyone's rooms were.<p>

"I'm starting to think whoever figures out this riddle can be the Green Ninja for all I care!" Cole said, somewhat angrily.

Suddenly, red lights began flashing and an alarm started blaring.

"What's that?" Jay shouted.

"Who cares?" Kai exclaimed. "It's something else besides training!"

"Amen!" Dawn cheered.

The ninjas ran to the bridge, where Nya was waiting beside the large screen.

"Break it down for me, sis," Kai said.

"Lloyd and the Serpentine have overtaken Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys."

"That place is a cesspool for the crooked and misbehaved!" Jay clenched one of his hands into a fist.

"It doesn't mean they don't need our help," Cole pointed out reluctantly.

"Step on it," Dawn murmured to Zane.

The white ninja complied, running and flipping to the button and pressing down on it. With a _whoosh!_ of the sails, and a roar of the engines, the Bounty prepared for flight.

The team of seven ran to the upper deck and with five cries of "Ninjaaaaa-Go!", the ninjas put their hands together once again. The engines began working and the rockets roared to life. The Bounty lifted into the air and headed for the boarding school.

* * *

><p>The school's bell rang.<p>

"Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

In a science classroom, several boys were tied up, as well as the two substitute teachers.

Lloyd and Pythor rode along the corridors on skateboards a few stories up.

"Hey! How are the booby traps?" Lloyd asked.

"Every door, window, and hole in this place are spring-loaded!"

"Good! I'm sick and tired of those ninja sneaking their way into _my_ evil doings..."

High above the boarding school, Kai, Cole, Jay, Zane, and Dawn were contemplating on how to get down.

"Looks quiet down there," Zane commented, peering over the edge. "Should we infiltrate using stealth?"

Kai sighed. "We've done that. What about using our Golden Weapons and turning them into vehicles.

Dawn huffed. "_Not_ a good plan. _You_ may have figured it out, but _I've_ only had my boomerang for a _day_. _Definitely_ not enough time for me to learn entirely how to use it."

"Anyone have any other good ideas?" Cole asked.

"Hmm..." Jay mused. "Well, I have_ one_ idea. But, you guys gotta trust me."

Dawn edged away from him. Kai sighed.

"Oh, I don't think I like the sound of this."

* * *

><p>Lloyd paced along the roof of the school, muttering and mumbling to himself.<p>

"Relax," Pythor tried soothing him. "We've made the perfect trap. We're in broad daylight, so there isn't any shadows. Well, even if they _could_ get in-"

Lloyd spotted something darting around a few yards below the school. "What's that!"

He moved away and Pythor aimed and fired a net from a cannon at the thing. When the dust cleared , the thing was clearly seen. It was a lizard.

"Uh, good... yeah, " Lloyd stammered. "Good reflexes. I was just testing you. If I know these ninjas, they're cleverly sneaking their way right past us at this very moment."

* * *

><p>Which they weren't. Instead of stealthily moving up the building's many floors, the five were holding onto the Bounty's anchor. Well...<em> four<em> were holding it. Dawn was clinging to the metal with a scared-out-of-my-mind look in her eyes, like the anchor was her lifeline.

"Jay," Kai said nervously, "I don't know about this!"

"Just hold on tight!" Jay ordered.

"Got that covered!" Dawn shrieked, gripping the anchor so hard, the skin under her gloves turned white.

Jay motioned to Nya to release the anchor, which she did. The anchor fell at an alarming speed. All five ninjas were lifted into the air as they hurtled towards the school. Two figures on the roof moved hastily out of the way as the anchor crashed through the roof, then through seven or eight more floors.

The boys began coughing, while Dawn crouched low to the floor, all emotion but pure fear drained from her wide eyes.

"Okay," Cole said. "Let's agree to _never_ do that again." He pulled Dawn up from the floor while Jay dropped down from the ceiling.

The black ninja walked up to the tied up students and raised his scythe. The boys whimpered and cowered, but Cole only sliced through the ropes, freeing them.

"Stay outta school, kids!" Cole called after them. Then, he turned to the substitute teachers. "Well, well, well. Kruncha and Nuckal. Substitute teachers, eh? If we cut you down, we'd better not catch you hanging around Ninjago again. Or else. " With another swipe of his scythe, the Skulkin were released.

"He's on the top floor!" Kai jumped onto the anchor and pointed at the roof. "Let's get him!"

Dawn shook her head and regained her focus. She cried "Ninjaaaaa-Go!" with the others, then followed Cole to the top, pouncing onto the anchor's chain and climbing up it like him, but more slowly. Kai and Zane swirled into their tornadoes and speeding up the stairs. Jay took a graffiti-d elevator.

With a yell, Kai kicked down a door three floors up. A green goop suddenly poured over them, instantly hardening.

With an evil chuckle, a giant purple snake slithered past the two.

"Mua-ha-ha-ha!" Lloyd laughed. He looked down and spotted Cole and Dawn climbing up the chains. He gulped and ran from the hole in the roof.

Jay's eyelids lowered as he grew sleepier. The elevator music was... really... His eyes closed for a moment before they snapped back open again.

Cole reached a floor where Pythor was. Dawn was lagging behind a few feet down, trying to keep climbing and not have her lungs explode from the strain at the same time. Cole leaped from the chains and landed on the wooden floor.

He whipped around his scythe. "Prepare to eat dust!"

Pythor yanked on a rope under Cole's feet, releasing a green cloud of gas. He began coughing harshly.

Dawn finally reached him and wheezed, "What'd I-" She saw Pythor. "Oh... my God. N-not another one!" She shrieked so loudly, Cole thought his ears would burst. Then, she passed out and fell to the floor.

Cole groaned as Jay burst out of the elevator.

"He's got a Serpentine with him! Watch out for booby traps!" the black ninja coughed, pointing towards Pythor. "And Dawn's out cold! We need to get her back to the Bounty!"

Jay helped Cole up, then looked at the one Serpentine. "Aah! That's one big snake!" He flipped out of the room as Cole slung a still-unconscious Dawn onto his back.

* * *

><p>"They're coming! They're coming!" Lloyd began running in circles around the roof as Pythor came up the stairs to the roof. The snake shut the door to the stairs with his tail, then threw a wooden beam onto it. They backed up as the blue ninja popped up, spinning a pair of nunchucks.<p>

"Shocked to see me?"

"Do something!" Lloyd cried.

With an chuckle, Pythor took the map from the boy's back pocket.

"Wha...!" Lloyd looked up, a hurt look on his face. "What are you doing? I thought you were my friend!"

"All you want was to make the Serpentine your slaves, " Pythor hissed. "Well, sorry, _my dear boy_, but I have other plans." And with that, he disappeared from sight.

Lloyd gasped and looked around frantically. He started running away from the advancing blue ninja. He stopped after a moment and peered over the edge of the roof. That... was a long way down. Too far down. If he tried, he would be killed. Lloyd looked back up and saw the ninjas' ship. The red ninja was there, as well as the white ninja, the black ninja, the girl in red, and his uncle. Wait a minute... was that...? He started. The black ninja was carrying Dawn! Was she asleep? Or... he was pulled out of his thoughts as the red and white ninjas hopped onto the roof.

"Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon!" his uncle said from the ship. "You come here right now!"

"I got him!" The blue ninja picked Lloyd up with ease and threw the boy onto his shoulder.

"Wah! Hey, let me go!" Lloyd complained.

"What should we do with him?" The black ninja asked as the red and white ninjas joined him. "Wash his mouth out with soap? For a year?"

"Ground him indefinitely? The red ninja said.

"Make him sit in the corner for a century?" The white ninja said.

"I know exactly what we must do."

Lloyd gulped.

* * *

><p>Jay sighed. Dawn was still unconscious. Zane had told him that she shouldn't be disturbed, but the blue ninja had a feeling that she needed to be woken up. Her face was furrowed in slight pain, and she was mumbling things in her sleep. Jay climbed up the ladder to her bed and hesitantly reached out a hand. He shook her awake. She let out a gasp and her eyes flew open. She sat up swiftly, half-scaring him. Her eyes were wild until she noticed Jay. He saw the terrified light in them die down.<p>

"Wh... what happened?" Dawn asked, her voice slurred from sleep.

"You, uh, passed out when we saw the giant-purple-snake-guy," Jay explained. "What were you dreaming about?"

"Um..." The yellow ninja's face grew bright red and she looked down at her sheets. "Just a nightmare. I'll be okay in a few minutes."

Jay nodded, then said, "Well, come on. Sensei's gonna punish Lloyd, and we're gonna see what he does."

She closed her eyes, then opened them again and followed him out of the room.

* * *

><p>"And that is why Jack the Rabbit never trusts a snake," Sensei Wu concluded. "The end." He shut closed the book he was reading from and smiled down at Lloyd, who was curled up under a blanket.<p>

"Huh..." the boy said. "If my dad had read me that book, I would never have made that mistake."

Kai, Cole, Jay, Zane, and Dawn watched silently from the doorway, hidden in the shadows.

"I'm sorry, Uncle," Lloyd apologized, guilt evident in his tone.

"You do not need to apologize. I am sure that if your father was still here, it would be the first book he'd read." Sensei Wu patted Lloyd's blond hair. "Good night, nephew. Sweet dreams."

Lloyd sighed sleepily. "Good night, Uncle."

Sensei Wu backed up, watching his nephew for a moment. The ninjas flipped away. Then, the sensei turned and left.

* * *

><p>"I don't get it, Sensei," Kai said as he and the other four gathered behind Sensei Wu.<p>

"Why isn't the little brat getting punished?" Jay whined.

"Yeah!" Cole agreed. "We had to train all day and he gets read a bedtime story? It's not fair."

"You're right." Sensei Wu turned around, now facing his five pupils. "I nearly forgot. Why are you not still training? Did you find the answer to the riddle?"

Dawn sighed.

"No, Sensei," she said. "We still don't know what the best way to defeat your enemy is."

The five bowed their heads in failure and turned to walk away.

"It is," Sensei Wu said, "to make them your friend."

They "Ohhh"-d and Zane motioned for them to follow him. His friends complied. They stopped in front of Lloyd's room, where the boy was sleeping peacefully. Dawn smiled. Lloyd was her friend once again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** M'kay... This chapter has 13,714 words, not including this author's note. It took me a bit longer than I hoped, but I got it done. :) Ah-ha-ha... It seems like every new chapter I make is longer than the last.

So... how was Dawn this chapter? Again, perfect? Plain? ...Just right? I'm kinda making it so that she's a major character, but the story doesn't focus entirely on her.

I'm also kinda sad that my story has the most words in the archive, and yet it has the least reviews... Could you guys please review? It would help me, knowing that people actually bother to read my story.


	3. Can of Worms, The Snake King

_**Episode Five- Can of Worms**_

Kai picked up a game controller and settled back for a good hour of video games. He began the game and was doing pretty good, until Lloyd walked in, whistling.

"Hey, Kai," the boy said. "Heh, saw Cole beat your high score. Ya should've seen it. It was pretty spectacular."

Kai turned around. "Uh, you must be talking about Sitar Legend. This is Fist to Face 2. _No one_ beats me on my game."

"Huh. Could be wrong." Lloyd walked away. "See ya!"

Just to be sure, Kai brought up the high scores on the screen. Sure enough, Cole's image was on each of the high scores.

"_Cooole_!"

* * *

><p>In the kitchen, Cole was busy stirring a pot of soup.<p>

"Mm-mm. Violetberry soup," Cole said proudly. "My culinary achievement. The recipe is not followed exactly-" He took a sip of the broth, only to gag and make a face.

"By the way," Lloyd's voice came from behind him, and he looked to the boy, "I saw Jay spice things up. I told him not to, but he said your cooking could use it. Bye, Cole!" And, he left.

When he was gone, Cole instantly spat out the soup.

"_Jaaaay_!"

* * *

><p>Jay, fully suited up in his kendo gear, picked up a remote and pushed a button on it. The sparring 'bot in front of him sparked to life.<p>

Jay put on his helmet and said, "Let's ease our way into this. How 'bout level two, shall we?"

He pushed another button, and the small screen on the robot flashed a '9'.

"Hey, Jay!" Jay heard Lloyd speak from behind him and he turned around. "I saw Dawn try to repair the sparring 'bot earlier. Isn't that _your_ expertise? Later, bro!"

Lloyd then left.

"Wait! What?" Jay began pushing buttons to try and stop the robot. It, however, kept advancing on the ninja. "No! Nooooo! _Daaaawn_!"

* * *

><p>Dawn smiled and flipped through her sketchbook. She wasn't very good at art, but she had begun practicing a few weeks ago when she was still living with Lloyd and the Serpentine. Living with snakes makes for a <em>lot<em> of free time. She went through a few pages, then stopped on her best drawing in the little book, a sketch of the four boys and her smiling up at the top of the paper.

Dawn gasped. It was completely covered in different colors of paint. Absolutely ruined.

"Hi, Dawn!" She turned to see Lloyd standing in the doorway to the room she shared with the other ninjas. "I saw Zane work on your drawing. He told me that it needed more color. Bye!" He turned and left.

"Gah!_ Zaaaaane_!"

* * *

><p>Zane set down the laundry basket, and was about to open it, but Lloyd suddenly walked up to him, whistling.<p>

"Hello, Lloyd," Zane greeted the boy. "What brings you up here this fine morning?"

"Kai wanted me to pick up his ninja suit. He said he threw it in with your whites." Lloyd lifted the lid to the basket and brought out Kai's suit. "Here it is! Thanks!" And, he walked away.

Zane contemplated this for a moment, then pulled out his suit. It was _pink_. His face grew angry.

* * *

><p>"You couldn't just be happy with the high score! You <em>had<em> to rub it in my face!"

"You know how long it took me to make that? Three days. _Three_ days!"

"It's an honest said law, okay? You don't _touch_ a man's robot!"

"I spent_ forever_ on this drawing! My best one! It didn't_ need_ color!"

"_How_ am I supposed to strike fear in this? It's _pink_!"

The ninjas started arguing as Sensei Wu walked into their room. He shook, his head, then opened the door to the bathroom. Lloyd stood behind the door, a smirk on his face. A toolbox, a few bottles of spice, a sledgehammer, some cans of paint, and pink dye sat at his feet.

The ninjas turned to the uncle and his nephew. Five loud gasps and questioning cries of "_You_ did this!" were heard.

"Guys," Cole said angrily. "I get first dibs on-"

"_No_ dibs!" Sensei Wu said firmly. "_I_ put him up to this for today's lesson. I wanted to show you the disruptive power of rumors, and that jumping to conclusions can only lead to trouble. Did you ever think you find out if the accusations were true?"

"Ah, no offense, Sensei," Cole said, "But, lemme jump to_ this_ conclusion- Today's lesson is lame."

"Yeah," Jay said, "Why can't you teach us to paralyze your enemy with one finger? Or find out if a man is lying by the twitch of his nose?"

"Because not all lessons are about fighting!" Sensei Wu snapped. Then, his tone grew quieter. "And I... misplaced my lesson book."

Kai looked at Lloyd with narrowed eyes. He walked up to the boy, who was now smiling innocently, and pulled a book out from his back pocket. "You mean _this_ lesson book?"

"It was the perfect plan," Lloyd said. "Until you had to show up and mess everything u-"

Cole shut the bathroom door, muffling Lloyd's voice. He then wiped his hands together.

"_If you're done fooling around,_" Nya said over the loudspeaker, "_I could use you guys on the bridge. We** do** still have a snake problem to attend to. Over and out!_"

Kai frowned. "It's one thing to let the son of your nemesis live with you. But having my sister here? I mean, _come on_! I thought this was a _ninja_ headquarters!"

"_You **do** know I can hear you_."

Kai looked guilty.

"_Over and out_!"

* * *

><p>Sensei Wu, Lloyd, and the ninjas gathered in the bridge, where Nya was standing in front of the screen.<p>

"Last we heard of Pythor," Nya was saying, "he stole the map of dens from Lloyd, and is now on his way to open the last two Serpentine tombs."

"Uhhh..." Lloyd groaned. "Don't remind me."

"Pythor's our most dangerous threat," Sensei Wu said. "If he finds those tombs before we do, with his intellect and all four tribes unleashed, there's no telling what he'll do."

"But, those tombs could be anywhere!" Jay said. "Without the map of dens, we might as well just throw darts at a map!"

"Good idea!" Nya said cheerily. She held two darts in her hand. "Why don't we?"

She threw the darts at the screen, causing Kai and Dawn to duck to avoid getting hit.

"These are the two locations of the Hypnobrai and Fangpyre tombs."

"Show-off," Kai muttered.

Nya threw another dart as she walked back to the screen. "And_ this_ is Pythor's tomb. After many hours of ruminating on why the tombs were placed in these three precise locations, I discovered a secret pattern."

While Nya was talking, Jay was smiling dreamily at her, and Dawn was blushing slightly at being right next to the blue ninja. Nya took a flashlight out of a drawer under the screen and flicked it on. She shone the light on the screen and snake-like symbol appeared. Dawn noticed this and stiffened.

"If you notice," Nya began, "all three are in line with the Ninjago symbol for 'serpent'."

"So, the last two tombs must here, and here!" Jay walked next to Nya and pointed to two spots on the screen. He smiled at her. "Oh, you are _so_ smart."

Dawn's face fell and her blush disappeared. Jay liked Nya? Perhaps liking him _wasn't_ a very good idea...

"Was there ever any doubt?" Nya grinned.

"There's little time," Sensei Wu said. "Kai, Jay, and Dawn, you head to the Venomari tomb." The red, yellow, and blue ninjas nodded. "Cole and Zane, you take the Constrictai tomb. And take this." He held up a flute. "You might need it if you run into Pythor." Cole took the flute. "Good luck, ninja!"

"What am I going to do?" Nya asked.

"Yeah!" Lloyd smiled. "What're _we_ gonna do?"

"Nya, I need you here to make sure Lloyd doesn't get into any more trouble."

"Yes, Sensei," Nya sighed.

"Let's go, guys!" Cole said, grinning. "We got some snakes to club!"

The ninjas ran out of the bridge, agreeing loudly with the black ninja. Sensei Wu placed his hands behind his back and sighed.

"Where are you, Pythor? What are you up to?"

* * *

><p>Cole and Zane rode swiftly on their vehicles to the Constrictai tomb. Suddenly, with a flash, Cole's vehicle turned back into his scythe, and he landed on the ground, Zane right behind him. Zane took out his shuriken and glanced down. His suit was still pink. He groaned.<p>

"Well," Cole said. "Our vehicles won't traverse the steps. We'll go the rest of the way on foot."

"But, this is the Mountain of a Million Steps," Zane pointed out. "Aren't we pressed for time?"

"Then we'll take a shortcut."

A few minutes later, Cole was jumping and climbing up the mountain, Zane clinging to his back.

"Am I holding on too tight?" Zane asked.

"Light as a feather, Pinky," Cole grunted.

He hopped over a stairway and kept on going.

"Almost there!"

In a few more jumps, Cole made it to the top. Zane got off his back and the two jumped over the rocks blocking the way. They peered into the cavern at the middle of the ground.

"Looks like Pythor was already here," Zane said, noticing the rope tied to a rock near the hole. "Perhaps we should investigate."

"Gimme a second," Cole panted. "Woo... go on and start without me."

Zane took hold of the rope and slid down it. When he got to the bottom, he landed on a marble platform. He lit a torch and looked around. The pink ninja walked to a nearby wall and ran his eyes over it.

"Huh." Cole hopped down from the rope. "Didn't Mama Snake ever tell him not to draw on the wall?"

"These images describe a legend about one tribe uniting them all," Zane said.

"Well, those snakes _had_ been at war with each other for centuries."

"Well it says here, once they unite, they can find the five Silver Fangblades that will unleash the Great Devourer- an evil that will consume all of the land, turning day onto night."

Cole raised an eyebrow. "You get all_ that_ from those little pictures?"

"This gives me deep concern," Zane said. While he was talking, the ground behind the two was churned upwards, and the cavern shook slightly. "If Pythor's not here, and unites all the tribes before Kai, Jay, and Dawn find him-"

"Relax, Zane. They're a bunch of dumb snakes that believe in fairy tales! If anything, we got all the-" The ground crunched under their feet. Cole looked down. "Did you feel that?"

"What?"

"There's something in the ground." The two turned. "Don't move."

Suddenly, something huge burst out of the ground behind them and lashed a thick tail around Zane.

"I've been waitin' for you." A deep voice echoed off the cavern walls. "Pythor sends his regards."

A black and orange Constrictai snake. That was what the thing was.

"Did you stay behind just to tell us that?" Zane choked out. "Pathetic."

"Look who's callin' who pathetic," the snake hissed in Zane's ear. "Pinky."

"Only I call him Pinky!" Cole said angrily, whipping out his scythe.

He jumped up and brought his weapon down on the ground, causing the snake to let go of Zane.

"Zane! Go for the rope!" Cole shouted.

The ninja of ice nodded and began running towards the platform. He was about to grab the rope, but a yell from Cole made him turn.

"Cole?" Zane called. The snake and black ninja were gone.

"Whoaaaaaa!" Cole flew from the ground and landed on his rear.

Zane watched as the ground rumbled and moved again. A line of rocks marked where the snake was. The rocks headed for Cole, who backed away and took out the flute. He lifted his hood and put the flute to his lips. Instantly, a soft, sweet music filled the air. The snake burst out of the ground and roared, then wrapped his tail swiftly around Cole, who let out a cry.

"Zane," Cole choked. "Zane!" He yelled in pain and dropped the flute.

"Ninjaaaaa-Go!" Zane spun into his tornado and swirled towards the flute. He picked it up and began playing it.

The snake sharply stuck a hand under Zane's hood and grabbed his throat. Zane struggled to lift off his hood again, and he blew into the flute. The snake gripped his throat harder, causing his vision to blur. He took in as much air as he could, and blew out again.

The snake yelled and let go of the two ninjas.

"Wrap your head around this!" Cole picked up his scythe and hit the snake with it, knocking him to the ground.

Zane panted. "Good one."

"Thanks." Cole put his scythe on his back. "But, he was expecting us. I think Kai, Jay, and Dawn are walking into a trap!" He and Zane ran to the rope. "Come on! Let's get out of here!"

* * *

><p>Kai, Jay, and Dawn sped over a swamp. Jay flew in his jet and Kai rode on his motorcycle, Dawn clinging to the red ninja's waist. With two bright flashes, the vehicles disappeared and the three ninjas landed on the ground.<p>

"Ew!" Jay put a hand over his nose as they walked up to the bubbling, murky water.

"Hey, it's not me," Kai said. "We're in the Toxic Bogs. This stuff'll eat through you worse than Cole's chili." He put a stick in the acidic water. When he pulled it out, the tip was singed off.

Dawn stared at the stick. "Definitely worse than chili."

Jay nodded and hopped onto a tree. The other two followed him, and they began swinging on vines and hopping across trees to the Venomari tomb. They suddenly landed in front of a giant tree.

They walked towards the tree. Jay pressed down on a piece of bark, and part of the tree disappeared, releasing green smoke.

"P-U!" Jay coughed. His words echoed into the dark hole now in the tree. "_P-U, P-U, P-U_..."

The blue ninja laughed.

Kai sighed. "Let's just make this quick before Pythor gets here."

Jay walked farther into the hole, and Kai noticed that Dawn wasn't with them. He stepped back and looked around, then spotted her crouching at the water's edge. He walked to her side, and was about to ask her what she was doing, but Jay interrupted him.

"This place looks empty. We must've just missed him." Jay turned back into the tree. "Check this out! They say you're the Green Ninja, but I say I am!"

"_I am, I am, I am_..."

"I am!"

"_I am! I am! I am_..."

He laughed. Kai nudged Dawn, causing her to look up. He motioned for her to stay with him. She nodded and stood up. He walked around for a few seconds, both he and Dawn inspecting the bog. Just then, a loud croak made them both whip out their Golden Weapons and point it at what at made the noise- a frog.

"Oh, you shouldn't sneak up on people like that," Kai sighed. The frog hopped onto a lily pad in the water. "Heh, if we weren't such well-trained nin-"

He was interrupted by the lily pad rising out of the water. Dawn whimpered, for the lily pad wasn't a lily pad at all. It was a snake. The snake cackled and shot venom into the two ninjas' faces, causing them to close their eyes and stumble back. Their eyes became a bright green. Kai looked around, his vision swirling.

"Jay!" he called out.

"Jay!" Dawn called as well. Her vision was becoming like Kai's.

"No, _I'm_ the real Jay!" Jay shouted into the hole.

"_No, I'm the real Jay! No, I'm the real Jay! No, I'm the real Jay..."_

More Venomari snakes climbed out of the acidic water and lurched towards the red and yellow ninjas. The two swung their weapons around wildly, before collapsing on the ground at the same time. For Kai, the snakes were turning into gnomes and walking gingerbread men. For Dawn, they were just getting bigger.

"Oh! This is not good!" Kai yelled.

"Jay!" Dawn screamed.

Jay turned away from the hole and walked towards the ninjas, only to find Venomari snakes closing in on them, and the two hugging each other out of fear.

"There's so many!" Kai whimpered. "Elves and gingerbread people everywhere!"

"Wah! They're all huge! Too many snakes!" Dawn cried.

"Okay, I don't know what you're seeing," Jay said, taking out his nunchucks and spinning them around, "But this is no time to lose yourselves. I need you, guys!"

"I never fought little people before!" Kai shouted.

"We're toast!" Dawn squeaked.

Just then, Cole and Zane flew out of the trees on their vehicles. Their weapons transformed back, and they landed on the ground.

"Anyone order a little kick-butt?" Cole yelled.

"_Butt, butt, butt_..."

Jay laughed.

"Boo!" Pythor suddenly burst out from behind the huge tree, scaring Jay and making Dawn shriek in terror.

Zane put away his shuriken and took out the flute. He lifted his hood and began playing the flute, but Pythor lashed his long tail around it and pulled it away.

"Oh," he said, lifting it to his face and examining it, "let's not let music ruin things, hmm?"

Kai and Dawn stood up, now focused on Pythor, and joined Jay, Zane, and Cole. The Venomari closed in on the ninjas, forcing them back towards the bog. When they reached the edge, the five hopped backwards onto a fallen tree. The tree started sinking in the acid.

"Oh, I've got a sinking feeling," Pythor said. "...this may be the last I see of you five."

He cackled. The ninjas looked at the Constrictai snakes that had joined the Venomari.

"That's it," Cole said. "I used to hate dragons, but now, I officially hate snakes!"

"Wait," Kai slurred. "Do you see that?"

Dawn smiled sleepily. "A magic floating rope!"

"We can climb to safety!" the two hallucinating ninjas said in unison. They walked towards empty air, but Jay and Zane pulled them back.

"Boy, that Venomari venom is some powerful stuff!" Jay said.

The snakes on shore began laughing at the ninjas.

"For whatever it is worth," Zane said. "It was an honor to fight beside you all."

"Me too," Cole said.

"Yeah." Jay nodded. "Ditto."

Then, a rope dropped down in front of them.

"Hey, what?" Cole asked.

"The magic rope," Kai mumbled.

"Quick!" Jay ordered. "Everyone, climb over!"

The forest rumbled then, without warning, and a large robot-like thing descended from the sky. It landed and shot a net from its hand, capturing some of the snakes. The rest of the snakes fled, with the Venomari diving into the acid and the Constrictai burrowing into the ground. Pythor watched for a moment, then glared at the robot, who pointed a threatening hand towards him.

"Oh, dear." Pythor backed away.

The robot's torso lowered, revealing a human dressed in armor.

"_Pythor. Target confirmed_," he said in a robotic voice. "_Time to bag. And tag_."

Pythor turned quickly and slithered away. The warrior raised a wrist and shot a dart into the snake's back. Pythor shrieked and slithered to his left, disappearing from view. The ninjas hopped down from the tree and watched the warrior, who hopped out of his robot.

"Who are you?" Cole asked.

"How about the coolest thing I've ever seen!" Jay exclaimed.

"Santa?" Kai mumbled happily.

"No, stupid," Dawn giggled deliriously. "It's the Easter Bunny!"

"Thank you, mysterious warrior." Zane walked up to the warrior and bowed. "I owe you my life for saving-"

The warrior sprayed a blue mist onto Zane, and the pink ninja fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Hey, that wasn't nice!" Jay said.

But, the warrior just did the same to him, Cole, Kai, and Dawn. The four fell to the ground, just like Zane had. The warrior pressed a button on his wrist, which made a rope shoot out of the robot and bring him back into it. The robot's torso went back into place and it flew away. When it had gone entirely, a spotlight from the Bounty shone down onto the ground, illuminating the golden weapons on the ninjas' backs.

* * *

><p>"So, then, just when we were gonna bite it," Jay was saying,"This huge mechanical robot came-"<p>

"Samurai," Zane interrupted. "It was samurai."

"A samu-what?" Lloyd turned to Zane with a confused look on his face.

"Samu_rai_." Sensei Wu looked around the table. "Highest level of warrior class. They would protect nobility, and serve with honor on the battlefield."

"He was a hundred feet high," Kai said, still hallucinating, "With weapons coming out every part of him. An-" Kai leaned in close to Cole. "Look at Sensei's beard. It's moving like snakes."

Nya shook her head. "When is this Venomari spit s'posed to wear off? It's starting to get annoying."

Kai stuck a dumpling to his cheek while Dawn, who was still hallucinating as well, dropped her head into her dinner and began snoring. Zane, Lloyd, and Jay, who were sitting across from the red and yellow ninjas, looked at the two weirdly.

"Okay, don't let this mysterious samurai cloud what's really important!" Cole said, lifting Dawn's head from her dinner. "All the Serpentine are out. And if Pythor can unite them, the legend states some Great Devourer is gonna consume the land and-"

"Great Devour-er?" Nya asked.

Dawn's still-green eyes snapped open and she fumbled around for a napkin. She clumsily tried the get her food off her face while Cole went on.

"Whatever it is, it's a can of worms I don't wanna see open."

Lloyd moaned and put his head in his hands. "Oh, it's all my fault! If I hadn't opened the first hatch, none of this would've happened."

"We cannot change the past," Sensei Wu said. "But, we can affect the future! At least we have the Sacred Flute in our possession, so-"

"Yeah. Heh heh." Jay tipped over his cup. "About that..."

"Pythor... sort of... stole it," Zane confessed.

"The last Sacred Flute?" Sensei Wu was appalled. "Gone?" He sighed. "You five are Ninjago's last hope."

Suddenly, a loud, ear-piercing alarm broke through the room, snapping Kai and Dawn out of their Venomari trance.

"Cold Vision must've caught something!" Nya exclaimed. "That means the Serpentine are near!"

"Oh, no!" Cole said. "Ninjago City?"

"My family lives there!" Dawn cried.

The group of eight got off their chairs and ran to the bridge.

"How many are there?" Jay asked.

"Looks like all of them," Kai answered.

"Pythor must be trying to unite them," Zane said.

"Go!" Sensei Wu ordered. "We mustn't let the five tribes unite!"

The ninjas ran out of the bridge, and with five cries of "Ninjaaaaa-Go!", Cole, Jay, and Zane changed into their suits. Zane sighed; his suit was still pink.

"I must get this taken care of," he said.

Kai and Dawn swirled clumsily around the room before coming out of their tornadoes and falling to the ground.

"Don't worry." Jay walked to the two and winked at them. "It'll wear off soon. For now, you're comin' with me and Cole." He grabbed their hands and pulled them up.

* * *

><p>Kai yelled as Jay jumped over the edge of the Bounty, for Jay was gripping his back. Cole and Zane followed suit, Dawn clutching Cole's arm. The yellow ninja was having a panic attack on the inside.<p>

Jay pulled out his nunchucks and swung them around, effectively placing him and Kai in the jet.

"Ah," Cole sighed. "I love the smell of land hurtling towards you in the middle of the night!"

Zane blinked, and Dawn even stopped mentally freaking out to lift her head and stare at the black ninja. When they had fallen a little further, Cole took out his scythe and transformed it. Zane took out his shuriken and they transformed as well. Dawn ended up behind Cole, now clinging to his waist. The three fell even farther, and Zane went as far as driving down the side of a building. He then landed on the ground and Zane's motorcycle reverted back to shuriken. Cole and Dawn landed as well and whipped around their weapons while Kai and Jay fell from the jet, which changed back into nunchucks.

The boys looked around in amazement as they walked down the alley they had fallen in. Dawn just smiled and nodded; she was proud of the city she used to live in.

"Ninjago City," Kai breathed.

"Amazing," Zane said.

"I've always heard stories of this place," Kai said.

"Biggest city in all of Ninjago," Jay said.

"You actually used to live here?" Cole asked Dawn.

"Yup," she replied. "My parents' shop is just a few blocks from here."

"I've always wanted to come here." Jay looked around.

"Yeah, I always dreamed of being on a billboard here." Cole grinned.

"You too?" Jay asked.

"Yeah, I did, too." Kai nodded.

"I may not be, but my Ma and Dad are," Dawn said.

"Uh, but may I remind you," Zane said, looking at his teammates, "_where_ are the snakes? We should be standing in the middle of a massive Serpentine gathering."

He and the other four looked down at a smoking manhole.

"Ugh," Cole groaned. "I hate snakes."

"I'm right with you, buddy," Dawn said, patting him on the back.

* * *

><p>Just below them, group of the four tribes and the sole member of the Anacondrai was gathered in an abandoned subway station.<p>

Pythor stared into the window of one of the trains, his tongue flicking out occasionally.

"You'll have to use more than wordsssss to bring the Serpentine together."

Pythor turned to his second-in-command, Skales, behind him.

"All I have to do is show them the way," Pythor hissed.

"They're ready for you, Pythor," the Venomari leader, Acidicus, said.

"Ah." Pythor slithered towards the large crowd of Serpentine. "Show time."

He climbed up the middle train and looked over the crowd.

"Friends," the snake began, "Enemies... and enemies who pretend to be friends."

The Serpentine cackled a strange combination of a laugh and a hiss.

"I welcome you..."

The five ninjas ran along the catwalk and stared at the huge crowd.

"That's a lot of snakes," Cole muttered.

"What're we gonna do?" Jay whispered.

"I have an idea," Kai said quietly. "Follow my lead."

His teammates did so as he ran away.

"-what is it with the Constrictai and their vice-like grip," Pythor was saying. "Let it _go_, already!"

The crowd laugh/hissed again.

"It's funny," one Fangpyre snake said to the Hypnobrai snake next to him, "because it's so true!"

Pythor chuckled. "But, in all seriousness, the reason why I called you here to this gathering is because... the good people of Ninjago imprisoned us in those insidious tombs. And, I want to return them the favor!"

The Serpentine cheered, while Kai slid down a rope behind the crowd, unseen.

"That sounds like a great plan" he said, "But, you know the Hypnobrai'll screw it up."

"Who said that?" One of the Hypnobrai hissed angrily.

"Those buck-teeth can bite my rear end!" Jay leaned over behind the Fangpyre.

"I bet they're drinking their own venom." Cole stood behind a post.

"All that digging must've given them dirt-for-brains!" Zane hung from a rope.

Dawn gulped, then called out, "Who's to say Pythor's a good leader, anyway? Come on- his eyes're _pink_! Pfft. Girly-eyes!"

The ninjas watched as the Serpentine began fighting among themselves.

Kai, who was near Dawn, muttered loudly enough for only her to hear, "Girly-eyes? That's the best you can come up with?"

"What?" Dawn shrugged nervously. "It still helped."

The red ninja rolled his eyes.

"What's going on?" Pythor demanded. "Why am I losing them?"

Skales shook his head, then spotted the bright yellow cloth of Dawn's uniform.

"Ninja!" he said, pointing to the girl with his staff. "Don't worry; I'll take care of it."

* * *

><p>Cole watched the fighting for a moment, the yelped and disappeared. The same happened to Kai and Dawn. Jay and Zane, who were behind the two, started, then noticed the trail of cracked tile coming towards them. The ninjas turned to run, but only Zane got away as three Constrictai snakes popped up and surrounded Jay.<p>

Zane turned as Jay shrieked, much like Dawn would after seeing a snake, "_Ruuuuuun_!"

Zane began running to his teammate, but quickly turned again and went the other way as more snakes jumped up from the ground and advanced on him. He turned down a hallway and ran towards the exit. But, it was chained up- Zane couldn't escape. The pink ninja looked around, then pressed himself up against a wall and shut his eyes tightly. Would this work? ...No, not even the Serpentine were that dense. He heard footsteps come closer... closer... then, they were gone.

Zane opened his eyes in surprise and looked down the hallway. None of the Serpentine were there. He glanced at the wall he had hidden on and was surprised to find that it was an almost completely pink ad for Sitar Legend, a video game that they already owned. He raised his arms and noticed that his suit and the ad were almost the exact same shade of pink.

* * *

><p>Pythor glared at the fighting crowd, then turned to Skales.<p>

"Did you take care of them?" he hissed.

"All but one." Skales motioned to one of his snakes to open the broom closet he was standing guard over.

Inside the closet were four of the five ninjas, bound in ropes. Pythor noted that the yellow one's eyes were filled with a mix of courage and fear. He almost laughed at the female's pitiful attempt to seem brave. But, the pink one was still missing.

"Search every nook and cranny," Pythor ordered in a deadly voice, all humorous emotions gone. "If he's a ninja, you'll never find him in plain sight!"

"Look!" one of Skalidor's snakes cried. "A pink ninja!"

"Go, pink ninja, go!" The ninjas yelled, the yellow one's eyes now gleaming with glee.

* * *

><p>Zane flew off the rope he was swing on and knocked Pythor and Skales off the train. He jumped and flipped to his teammates, then took out his shuriken and sliced off their ropes.<p>

"Now!" he said. "Let's get out of here!"

The five jumped onto ropes and swung over the crowd of infuriated Serpentine. They landed on the catwalk and ran out of the room, into a hallway. Half of the crowd chased after them.

"Let us blow this popsicle stand!" Zane yelled. "Ninjaaaaa-Go!" He swirled into a pink tornado and spun forward.

"Popsicle stand," Jay repeated. "Ha-ha! I like it!"

Zane halted and took out his shuriken. He held them out and ice shot out from one of the three tips on the twin weapons. The rest of the hallway was coated in ice in less than six seconds. The pink ninja then transformed his shuriken into the motorcycle and his teammates swiftly jumped onto it. Jay ended up in the back and Dawn was immensely aware of the blue ninja right behind her. She moaned mentally and shook her head.

_No! no! Snap out of it! Jay likes Nya... not you. Get a hold of yourself! _

Zane revved the engine and sped down the hallway, leaving the Serpentine far behind. Along the way, Jay tumbled from his perch on the motorcycle and had to grab the the exhaust pipes to stay on. Zane just kept speeding forward, unaware of his friend's problem. Dawn bit her lip and gripped Jay's arm, keeping the blue ninja with her and the other three.

Meanwhile, the Serpentine were having a difficult time walking or slithering on the ice. Pythor slipped suddenly and fell to the ice with a yell. His face burned with embarrassment and fury.

"You have to do," Skales grunted, holding Pythor's wrist and pulling him up, "ugh, better than that to... agh... unite the tribes!"

"Get your hands off me!" Pythor shouted, startling Skales so much that the Hypnobrai leader cowered.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, the ninjas, Sensei Wu, and Nya sat at the table in the small dining room, halfway through the food set out for dinner.<p>

"Y'know," Cole said, "whether it was in the lesson book or not, we used the destructive power of rumors to out advantage."

"And now the Serpentine are further away than ever from getting their act together." Kai grinned.

"Y'know, I don't think we would've gotten out of there if it hadn't been for Zane," Jay pointed out.

"Don't thank me," Zane said. "Thank Lloyd. If it hadn't been for his 'laundry skills'" -Zane made air quotes- "We all would've been found."

The entire team burst into laughter.

Then, the door to the dining room slid open, and Lloyd walked in.

"Well," the boy said, carrying a pile of Zane's clothing, "it took me twenty loads, but your suit's no longer pink. And to show that I'm sorry, Cole" -The black ninja looked at him- "I got you a can of nuts." He pulled a little can out of his back pocket, the can identical to the one he had used when he and Dawn first met Kai, Cole, Jay, and Zane.

"Oh, heh heh, yeah." Cole got out of his seat and walked to the boy. "Don't think I don't see what this is. When I open this, a bunch of snakes're gonna pop out, right?" He laughed. "Yeah, no thank you." He walked to the fridge and opened it. Dozens of plastic snakes burst out, causing Cole to yell in fright and fall to the floor. They laughed once more.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Episode Six- The Snake King<strong>_

Far out in the desert, Pythor and Skales were digging away at a hole thirty or forty feet deep. They had spent a good three days digging out the hole, and Pythor was _not_ about to stop now. He would _not_ succumb to the heat, or the fatigue that was starting to settle in his muscles.

"We're wasting our time, Pythor," Skales hissed tiredly. "There's nothing here but sand and dust!"

"Keep digging," Pythor grunted. Skales couldn't slack off, not when they were so close. "The Lost City of Ouroboros is under us! I know it!"

Skales sighed. "Face it. Your first attempt to unite the tribes failed. Now that you have lost your flock, you've become dessssperate!"

"I _am_ desperate, my disloyal number two!" Pythor agreed. "If only to bring our kind together so that we can unleash the Great Devourer!"

"You put too much faith in legends," Skales scoffed. "Besides, all the Serpentine know is to be at war with each other."

Pythor stuck his shovel in the sand, about to scoop another pound away, but the metal struck something hard. The two snakes started, then Pythor smoothed the rest of the sand away, revealing a circular object. He chuckled darkly, sending a slight shiver through Skales' bones.

"Skales," Pythor said. "I believe we've found it." The purple snake reached down and twisted the middle of the circle.

The sand around the two began swirling, uncovering the ruins of a large city. Pillars rose from the sand, as well as half-complete temples and broken statues. Skales looked around with large eyes, while Pythor's own eyes glittered evilly.

"I present to you," Pythor announced,"the city formerly known as the Lost City of Ouroboros!"

* * *

><p>The Bounty rose from white, fluffy clouds, the twin rockets pouring out flames. Behind the ship, a mailman was flying on a bicycle with wings. As he pedaled, the wings flapped, allowing him to fly.<p>

"Wait!" the man cried, holding out a flat package. "Slow down! I have a package for Sensei Wu!"

Inside the ship, the ninjas, Nya, and Lloyd sat at the dining table, eating lunch.

"First, I'll stomp on his tail," Lloyd was saying. "Then, when he turns, a thunder-clap to his ears!" As he talked, Sensei Wu walked into the room, carrying the package. "Then, when he's stunned. I'll disarm him!"

"Too late!" Cole crowed. "He's already hypnotized you and now, you're under his control!"

"Or, he's already put you in a squeeze," Zane said.

"Or spit on you with his hallucinatory venom," Kai said, making hand motions. "Trust me- bad stuff."

Dawn nodded in agreement. The Venomari's spit _was_ bad, but her hallucinations taught her to keeping building up her strength and bravery. Now, she could actually look a snake in the eye without screaming like her baby sisters and passing out.

Lloyd whined.

"Uncle," he asked. "what's the best way to stun a Serpentine if you don't know what kind they are?"

Sensei Wu sighed. "Sadly, it was the Sacred Flute you five carelessly lost-"

"Ah-ah-ah-ah!" Jay interrupted. "We didn't lose it; Pythor_ stole_ it."

"Whatever the case," the sensei said, pouring a cup of tea, "without it, I fear we have nothing to combat their powers. We may have prevented them from uniting in the past, but they _will_ try again. And one day, they will be stronger."

"Don't worry, Sensei," Cole assured him. "I've almost reached my full potential. And, when I become the Green Ninja, we're not gonna need any magic flute."

"_You're_ gonna be the Green Ninja?" Kai gave him a look. "Ha-ha-ha! Don't make me laugh."

"Lies!" Dawn stuck an accusing finger at Cole and gave him a playful grin. "_I'm_ gonna be the Green Ninja, guys. We all know that."

"I thought it was decided that _I_ was destined to be the Green Ninja," Zane broke in.

Jay laughed and put a hand on Zane's shoulder."The only thing decided about you, Zane, is that you're weird."

The ninjas began arguing once again.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Lloyd got out of his seat and walked to his uncle. "What's in the box?"

Sensei Wu stood and took the lid off the package. "Your new uniforms." He pushed the package to the middle of the table.

Jay let out an excited gasp. The five eagerly pulled their new suits out of the box and began praising the styles.

"They've got, like, armor!" Jay shouted.

"I love the gold highlights!" Kai said.

"Battle claws!" Cole yelled.

"They're our favorite colors!" Dawn squealed, hugging her suit.

"The material is really light and breathable." Zane looked over his uniform.

"Oh..." Lloyd looked disappointed. "Nothing for me?"

"Um..." Sensei Wu thought for a moment. "You get, uh... the box."

Lloyd's face fell, until Dawn chirped, almost like a bird, and tossed him a small sack.

"There ya go, Lloyd." She winked. "Ma and Dad sent me that yesterday. It's a few samples of their newest candy."

Suddenly, the alarm went off and red lights began pulsing rapidly. The group ran out of the room instantly and raced into the bridge.

"Sorry to break up the moment, guys," Cole said, checking a screen, "but, a small fraction of our slithering friends are stirring up trouble over at Mega Monster Amusement Park."

"Amusement park?" Lloyd cried eagerly. "Can I go? Can I go with you, please?" He jumped around the room, giving everyone puppy-dog eyes. "Let me make things up- I can help!"

Dawn almost gave in, but Sensei Wu saved her from telling him yes.

"I'm sorry, nephew," the sensei said. "You will stay here, where it's safe.

"Aww..." Lloyd complained. "Ninja get all the fun."

"Whaddya say guys?" Jay held up his suit. "Time to try out the new merchandise?"

The five began fawning over the suits again.

* * *

><p>The ninjas stood at the edge of the Bounty, now wearing the new uniforms.<p>

"This new stuff feels like it'll really protect us!" Cole said.

He, Jay, and Dawn had silver highlights on their suits, while Kai and Zane had golden highlights.

"It provides more mobility," Zane agreed.

"You wanna strut your stuff on the catwalk," Jay asked,"or get down to that amusement park so we can go on some rides!"

"Tunnel of Love?" Dawn muttered hopefully.

"I love a good old-fashioned roller-coaster," Kai said, "but nothing beats this!"

With wild yells and shouts, the five jumped over the edge and transformed their weapons.

Dawn had figured out how to use her boomerang, with some help from Zane and Cole, and found out the boomerang could become a golden motorcycle, similar to Kai's and Zane's.

They streaked down the sky swiftly, trailing white and black smoke behind them. Just before they hit a roof, the vehicles reverted back into weapons and the ninjas jumped off the roof and landed on the ground, then walked away from the little building they had fallen on.

"Ha-ha, check _that_ out!" Cole said proudly. "And not a scratch on me."

The ninjas' attention was suddenly moved to a large, screaming crowd.

"Ha-ha!" Jay puffed out his chest slightly. "Ladies, relax, relax! We have arrived!"

Dawn snorted. "They're not paying any attention to us, Jay. Look." The yellow ninja gently brushed aside some people and pointed to what everybody was gathered around.

A half-dozen snakes were tied up, struggling and writhing.

"What just happened?" Kai asked, bewildered.

"Oh, you totally missed it," a girl next to him said a slightly nasally voice. "There were, like, icky snakes, and then this mysterious samurai came in and saved _everyone_."

"He was, like,_ gorgeous_," another girl said dreamily.

"You saw his face?"

"Nah, but, we could totally tell."

Just then, Nya came up from behind them and handed the two girls ice cream cones.

"Nya!" Jay straightened up. "You're here!"

"Yeah!" She smiled. "Oh, you just missed all the action! He just flew in, took care of business, and then flew off! It was pretty cool."

"Don' wanna be a ninja!" The six turned to see a little boy trying to escape from his mother's grip. "Wanna be a samurai!"

Two men walked by, one of them saying, "Samurai's my new hero!"

"Y'know, the samurai can kick the ninjas' butts!" A teenager said.

Dawn scowled and cupped her hands around her mouth, then yelled, "Yeah, well, _we_ can kick _your_ butts!"

Zane patted Dawn's shoulder. "You are not very good at comebacks, are you?"

She rolled her eyes and muttered something her friends couldn't hear, but Zane guessed it wasn't very kind towards samurai in giant, robotic suits.

"Who _is_ this guy?" Kai frowned.

"Whoever he is, he's stealing our thunder!" Cole said.

"And we just got these cool, new ninja suits!" Jay complained. Then, he crossed his arms and scoffed. "I'm gonna say it- I hate samurai!"

"Do I hear a hint of jealousy?" They turned again and saw Sensei Wu walking toward them, a cone of cotton candy in his hand. "Maybe this can be a lesson for you."

Jay groaned. "Not another les- Hey! How'd you get here so quick?"

"The lesson is- iron sharpens iron."

"I do not follow, Sensei," Zane said.

"Healthy competition can help you reach your true potential faster." Sensei Wu walked forward and his students moved to let him pass. "Do not be jealous of this samurai. Let it inspire you." The sensei's gaze landed on one of the rides. "Ooh! Ferris Wheel!" He began running towards it, startling a few girls in the process.

"Inspire?" Jay narrowed his eyes.

"Wait a minute," Kai said. "Maybe the old man's right."

"You want us to compete with the samurai?" Cole asked in disbelief. "He's got all the cool gadgets; we don't stand a chance!"

"No, not with him," Kai assured him. "With us. I say we turn this into our own competition. Whichever of us is skilled enough to catch this mysterious samurai" -He whipped out his sword, scaring a passing man- "is probably the best of the bunch."

"So, whoever learns the identity of the samurai," Jay said excitedly, "is the one who'll become the destined Green Ninja! Ha!" He pulled his nunchucks from his back. "I love it!"

"Then, it's a bet." Cole raised a fist. "May the Green Ninja win!"

"_Ninjaaaaa-Go_!"

* * *

><p>"Multiple snake sightings!" Nya cried. "They're everywhere!"<p>

And the five ninjas set off to the different snake locations.

* * *

><p>Zane sped down a snowy mountain, towards a village where the Hypnobrai were terrifying the residents. He pulled over, and was about to hop off, but the sight that greeted him made the white ninja stop.<p>

"Huh?"

The samurai and his suit were standing not twenty feet away, a group of Serpentine tied up at his feet. The samurai let out a robotic laugh and flew away.

"Metal menace." Zane got off his motorcycle and threw a snowball at the samurai.

* * *

><p>Kai rushed towards three Constrictai snakes, his golden sword pointed out.<p>

"Go, ninja, go!" A group of junior-high girls cheered him on.

But, of course, the samurai showed up out of nowhere and snatched up the snakes.

"Oh, samurai." The girls blushed and began fawning over the human inside the robot.

Kai scowled and swirled into his tornado, only to be attacked by the samurai.

"Agh! Hey, what's going on?" he yelled as the samurai picked him up.

* * *

><p>Cole jumped into a cave as the samurai fought off a few snakes.<p>

"Now I've got you!" the black ninja yelled. He hopped onto the robot's arm and laughed, only for the samurai to shoot the arm off. Cole smacked straight into a rocky wall.

* * *

><p>Dawn advanced on the Venomari snakes in front of her, waving her boomerang nervously. She crouched down and was about to throw her weapon, but a large<em> BOOM!<em> behind her forced the female ninja to turn around. The samurai stood behind her, a metal arm raised in a teasing greeting.

The samurai shot a net towards the snakes, capturing them, and flew off with the Serpentine.

Dawn snarled, most unlike her.

* * *

><p>Jay stood at the edge of a railroad, dressed in a pink dress and holding a blond wig. He placed the wig on his light brown hair and lay down on the tracks.<p>

"Help!" he called in a high-pitched voice, trying to mimic a girl."Samurai! Where are you? Oh!"

The samurai landed next to him, holding a few wooden tracks. Before Jay knew it, the samurai had placed the tracks around the blue ninja, and the train had zoomed by on those tracks.

Jay yelled angrily as the samurai flew off. "Stupid samurai!"

* * *

><p>Kai sped down the road of a small city on his motorcycle, Lloyd sitting just behind him.<p>

"Okay," Kai said as Lloyd hopped off. "I know it's my turn to look after you, but just play a few games and stay put while I look around." The red ninja handed the younger boy a few coins. "i have a feeling the samurai may show up."

"Lemme help!"

"No."

"Come on! At least drop me off at a decent arcade..."

"Sorry, shorty!" And with that, Kai drove off.

"Kai! Wait!" Lloyd cried. He coughed the motorcycle's exhaust out of his throat and looked around. Was this_ really_ the best Kai could do? He grumbled and headed for the arcade door, but stopped as soon as he heard snake-like voices. He peered down the alley next to the arcade and listened carefully.

"-Impossible." The strange, accented voice of a Fangpyre reached Lloyd's ears. What... what were the Serpentine doing here? "The lost city does not exist."

"It isn't lost anymore." Lloyd froze. That was Skales' voice. "And I hear there's gonna be a fight!"

"Count me in!"

Lloyd narrowed his eyes and crept down the alley, trying to keep silent. He peeked around the corner at the end of the alley and watched the Serpentine.

"All aboard!" Skales called. The Hypnobrai general stood next to a green bus. "Next ssssstop, Ouroboros!"

Lloyd turned and walked back to the arcade. He looked up and froze again. Inside the arcade's window was a Hypnobrai scout costume set. Lloyd thought quickly, and in a matter of minutes, he was racing back down the alley, wearing the costume. He hopped onto the first step of the bus, but Skales topped him.

"Hey! You!" the snake said. "Hold it there!"

Lloyd gulped and backed up.

"Last one in closes the door!" Skales said cheerily.

"Uh, shhhhh-ure thing," Lloyd said. He was safe, for now.

The boy closed the door behind him and took a seat in the back. Skales started the engine and drove out of the alley, then out of the city.

* * *

><p>Lloyd watched for hours as the bus drove over sand, sand, and more sand. He began to get bored, and entertained himself with the little bag of candy Dawn had given him a few days ago. He pulled a piece of candy out of the bag and raised it to his mouth. Then, he looked out the window again and the candy fell from his fingers. Statues of snakes and the Serpentine were all around the bus. Temples and ruins stood proudly behind them. Serpentine were everywhere.<p>

...Dawn would_ love_ this place!

* * *

><p>Pythor and Skales looked around the Ouroboros arena. The two snakes held earplugs in their hands.<p>

"Just do as I said, and I promise," The taller of the two said, "you will be my second-in-command. Forever."

Skales bowed and they put in the earplugs.

"I bring you together to the Lost City of Ouroboros!" Pythor addressed the large crowd. "Before the statue of our very own... Great Devourer! To speak of unity and-"

"Where are the fights?" one of the Constrictai yelled.

"Where is the big show?" a Venomari snake asked.

The crowd began chanting. "Sli-ther-pit! Sli-ther-pit! Sli-ther-pit!"

With an angry yell, Pythor leaped into the middle of the arena. "You want a show? You want to see a fight? I ask for your allegiance, but you will not give it!" He slithered towards the generals of the other four tribes, who were at the other end of the arena. Skales had managed to slip in without anyone noticing. "So, I will _take_ it!"

"What are you saying?" Fangtom hissed.

"I challenge the four tribe generals for their staffs _and_ their allegiance!" Pythor narrowed his eyes. "At once!"

The audience's cheering grew louder.

"I fought hard for this staff!" Acidicus hissed. "And will not give it up so easily!"

"There's no way he can defeat the four of us at once!" Skalidor declared. The short snake swiped at Pythor with his staff.

Acidicus joined in, as well as Fangtom and Skales, though the Hypnobrai general was merely acting. They each lashed out with their staffs, until all but Skales jumped onto Pythor, effectively pinning the Anacondrai down. Skales pulled out the Sacred Flute and handed it to Pythor, who pressed it to his fangs and began playing it. Soft, sweet music filled the air, causing Fangtom, Acidicus, and Skalidor to wince in pain and clamber off the Anacondrai.

"Oh!" Lloyd, who was still disguised and up in the stands, froze. "He's using the Sacred Flute against his own!"

"My ears!" Skalidor shouted.

"It hurts!" Acidicus yelled.

Skales threw down his staff and Pythor took the rest of the staffs by force.

"Bow to your master," Pythor said, his voice low and deadly. Then, his voice rose. "Bow to your master, Serpentine!" He put the staffs in front of him as every snake bowed, even the generals.

Lloyd attempted a bow, but his Hypnobrai hat slipped. In his haste to tug it back into place, the maracas that gave him the sound of a snake fell from his grasp to the sand below.

Pythor looked up. Lloyd squeaked and tried to get away, but the Hypnobrai snake next to him grabbed the front of his shirt and lifted him, saying, "Where d'you think _you're_ going?" The rest of the boy's costume fell off.

Pythor hissed in disbelief. "_Lloyd_?"

* * *

><p>"Trying to find out the samurai's identity is more of a nuisance than the snakes!"<p>

Nya and the ninjas were seated at the dining table, discussing various things. But, mostly, the ninjas talked about the samurai. They all spoke with a tone that made Nya visibly uncomfortable.

"Any luck with you?" Cole asked, turning to Jay, who was at the end of the table, seated next to Dawn. Dawn had a blissfully happy look on her face, though Cole couldn't figure out why. All she was doing was sitting in between him and Jay. Maybe she knew something about the samurai...?

"The guy's elusive," Jay sighed. "He's like a ghost. One moment he's there, the next, he's gone."

"He always manages to escape from us," Dawn said.

"I'm starting to believe we may never catch him." Zane's eyes were downcast.

"I think it's safe to say- none of us're closer to proving we're the Green Ninja." Kai set down his cup.

The door suddenly slid open, and Sensei Wu walked in, his head bowed and his hands clasped behind his back.

"Looks like iron is sharpening iron," he said, looking at his students. He walked to Cole. "I feel you getting closer to your true potential." He patted the black ninja's arm.

"Ow!" Cole said softly, pulling away his arm.

"Where is my nephew?" Sensei Wu asked. "I thought you were looking after him."

"I thought Cole and Dawn were gonna pick him up," Kai said.

"We went to the arcade, but he wasn't there," Cole reported. "Jay was-"

"Don't bring me into this!" the blue ninja said. "I babysat yesterday!"

"Sensei," Zane said, looking up. "We have not seen him."

"We must find the boy." Their teacher's eyes became slightly worried.

* * *

><p>Kai streaked down the street where he had dropped off Lloyd, his four teammates close behind. Their vehicles transformed back into the Golden Weapons and they walked to the arcade.<p>

"Lloyd?" Kai pushed open the door and peered inside. "Lloyd?" He turned to the others. "He was right here! Someone must've seen him."

Cole looked up and spotted a security camera. "Hey, guys! Check _this_ out!"

* * *

><p>The five looked over the camera's film in the police station just a few blocks from the camera.<p>

"Oh, Wait, wait!" Jay said suddenly. "There's the pipsqueak!" The screen showed Lloyd walking down a sidewalk. "Play that back!"

Zane re-winded the tape and played it again. The on-screen Lloyd peered around the corner, then walked into the store next to the arcade. Zane fast-forwarded it a bit until Lloyd walked back out, now decked out in a Hypnobrai-like costume. He turned down the alley and disappeared from the camera's sight.

"What is he up to?"

* * *

><p>They walked down the alley Lloyd had gone down and followed the boy's tiny footprints.<p>

"I sense these are Lloyd's footprints," Zane remarked as they exited the alley and came to a stop in front of a little road. "But, they come to an end here. Why?"

"Something tells me we're going for a ride." Kai pointed at the tire trails in the dirt road. "Come on, guys!" The ninjas began running down the road, now following the trails.

With a flash of bright light, they were seated on or in their vehicles, with Jay in his jet, Kai, Zane, and Dawn on their motorcycles, and Cole in his tread assault. In just a matter of minutes, they were out of the city and in the desert. They zoomed over sandy dunes, swerved around large rocks poking out of the sand, and soon, they were able to see the Lost City of Ouroboros.

"What is that place?" Cole asked over the radio.

"Looks like Snake City," Jay replied.

"Let's get a closer look," Kai said. He sped up and the rest followed.

* * *

><p>Dawn kept up with the boys, though it<em> did<em> kind of hurt. She fell into a deep thought as she unconsciously moved.

_I don't think having a crush on Jay will work out. He's obviously smitten with Nya, and I can't compete with her. She's awesome! Maybe love isn't in my future after all... _Dawn steeled her nerves and fought off the tears threatening to spill over. She was pulled back into reality when Zane spoke.

"It appears Pythor has successfully united all of the tribes," the white ninja said.

"I know we ruined their last get-together," Cole said, "But that's no reason not to get an invitation! My feelings are hurt."

Dawn giggled quietly. Being around the boys meant for a great time, even if they were about to enter a stadium full of snakes.

"There's Lloyd!" Kai pointed out the boy, who was sitting forlornly in a cage.

"Oh, and look at who they worship!" Jay said, pointing to a giant statue.

"Let me guess," Cole muttered. "The Great Devourer."

"All the more reason to get Lloyd out of here." Kai pulled out his sword. "This ends _today_."

His teammates did the same as they ran into the stadium... only for a cage to fall on them. They let go of the Golden Weapons, which landed outside the cage. The Serpentine looked their way.

Lloyd gasped and gripped the bars of his cage. "The ninja!"

The boys groaned and stood up. Dawn stayed on the ground, her eyes wide with shock.

"Looks like we've caught the main event." The five looked up to see Pythor laugh and gather up the weapons.

* * *

><p>Half a dozen Serpentine led the ninjas into the stadium. The boys looked at a large set of bars on one side of the stadium while Dawn kept a wary eye on the Serpentine.<p>

"What do you think he meant by 'main event'?" Jay asked, his eyes wide.

"I think_ we're_ the main event!" Kai answered.

"Or the main course," Cole added.

Dawn shuddered. "Don't say that."

"Kai," Zane said, "you may be right. Things _may_ come to an end today."

"Ehhh, don't worry," Jay said nervously. "The samurai could still come around to save us!"

"So, you wanted a battle!" Pythor's voice rang out. "And I give you one! I give you... Ninja! Versus! _Samurai_!"

The bars suddenly moved, revealing the samurai and his robotic suit. Chains were wrapped around the robot's wrist, but four of the Serpentine quickly took them off. The ninjas stared up at the samurai in horror.

"What?" Jay yelled in disbelief. "We have to fight the_ samurai_? We don't even have our Golden Weapons, and _he_ has that hulking thing of armor! And it's... it's not _fair_!"

Dawn nodded to herself. Nya could have Jay without the yellow ninja freezing up in heartbreak, now. Better someone who didn't complain a lot. Or... no one at all.

"I want to see once and for all," Pythor declared, "who_ is_ the greatest hero! Is it samurai? Or ninja? Only the victor will be allowed to leave!"

"Stay together, " Kai ordered.

"Perhaps he can join our team to fight our way out," Zane suggested hurriedly. "After all, he hates the Serpentine, too."

The samurai suddenly lunged out and threw a Frisbee-like weapon at the five. The hit the ground, trying to avoid it.

"Scratch that," Cole said, rubbing his head. "He is _not_ on our team!"

The samurai lunged out again, and the ninjas leaped over the robot and landed gracefully on the other side of him. The samurai whipped around as the ninjas pressed together and tossed an S-shaped shuriken at them.

They dodged it, and Jay taunted, "Ha-ha! Missed me!" Then, with a sharp _CRACK!_, the shuriken flew back like Dawn's boomerang and hit Jay on the back of his head. The samurai caught it and seemed to grin at them. The five ran back into a group. Cole patted his friend's head before they all struck fighting poses. The samurai took out a _huge_ sword and brought it down on them. Dawn, Cole, and Zane dove to one side, while Kai and Jay dove to the other. He lashed out at the two sides and Zane finally suggested, "Tornado of Creation?"

"B-but, I don't know how to do it!" Dawn said.

"Trust your instincts," Kai said.

"Just do what we do." Cole brought a hand to the dirt and spun into his Elemental tornado. "Earth!"

"Fire!"

"Ice!"

"Lightning!"

"...Oh! Um, Light!"

"_Ninjaaaaa-Go_!" The five tornadoes spun together, creating one, giant cyclone of the five elements.

Multiple objects were sucked into the cyclone, until it disappeared. In its place was a giant slingshot and five hidden grins. In the slingshot was a large, spiked rock. The ninjas pulled it back and fired the rock at the samurai, knocking the robot straight into Pythor and Skales. The Spinjitzu users thundered towards the robot and the snakes.

Pythor pulled down on a lever, which made spikes protrude from the ground. The floor tipped dangerously, causing the ninjas and the samurai to fall back. They tumbled down the floor and grabbed at the six spikes at the bottom of the ground.

Cole scoffed. "Can this get any worse?"

"_We must continue to make it appear as if we are fighting for real_," the samurai said in his metallic voice.

Jay tilted his head. "We're not fighting for real?"

"_Keep up the charade. And hold onto my exo-suit._"

The five complied and the robot's rockets fired up. The seven began rising into the air, until the rockets began puffing out smoke instead of fire.

"There's too much weight!" Kai yelled.

The robot's torso lowered and the samurai hopped out, allowing his exo-suit, as well as the ninjas, to fly off.

"I can't believe he just saved us!" Cole shouted over the roar of the rockets.

"He stole our thunder again!" Kai exclaimed.

"GAH! I HATE SAMURAI!" Jay screamed.

* * *

><p>Pythor and Skales watched as the ninjas spiraled out of sight.<p>

"Go, ninja, go!" Lloyd cheered.

The samurai landed on the stands and punched two Serpentine in the face before jumping onto the ground. He ran towards Pythor, who quickly unlocked Lloyd's cage, used the boy as a human-shield and yelled, "Get him!"

Dozens and dozens of Serpentine advanced on the samurai. But, the man had a few tricks up his sleeve. Literally. He pulled up his sleeve, revealing a small watch and said, "_Magnetizer activated._" A beam of blue light shot out from the watch and pulled away the five Golden Weapons. The samurai wrapped them up in a blanket and threw his shuriken out. It pressed against a button, causing the floor to move again. He activated his jetpack and took off.

The samurai landed on top of the Great Devourer statue and took a bow, then flew away.

* * *

><p>"How d'you turn this thing off?" Kai yelled.<p>

The ninjas sped through the cloudy sky before crashing into the sand. Kai tumbled out of sight. Jay, Cole, Dawn, and Zane landed a few yards from each other.

Jay stood up and looked around. Dawn was easy to find because of her bright suit; she was staggering around and tripping over her own feet. Zane had just stood up, and Cole was beginning to do the same.

"Where's Kai?" he shouted to his teammates.

* * *

><p>Kai had fallen much farther away than the rest of the ninjas had. He was stuck headfirst in the sand and was struggling to get out. Somehow, the ninja of fire freed himself and looked around.<p>

"Guys?"

Overhead, the samurai's jetpack was starting to break down.

"Wha-?" Kai glanced up. "The samurai?"

He watched as the samurai crash-landed, and ran to him.

"_Testing. Testing._" The robotic voice reached Kai's ears as he ran. "_One, two._"

The samurai pulled his sparking helmet off, revealing... _Nya._

"Nya?" Kai said as he saw the short, black hair.

Nya glanced at him and put the helmet back on. "_Steer clear, ninja. Don't look..._" Nya tugged the helmet off once again and sighed. "...At me."

"I don't understand." Kai walked towards her. "You're the_ samurai_?"

"It was always a boys' club, save for Dawn." Nya set down the helmet. "You never let me try to help. So... I found my own way to be a hero. Are you mad?"

"Mad? Of course not! It's just... all this time, I've been trying to protect _you_! And, you've never needed it. You're amazing!"

"Girl power!" Nya lightly punched Kai's arm. "You're not gonna tell the others, are you?"

"But, we have a bet! We said whoever caught the samurai would be the Green..." Kai saw the look on Nya's face. He sighed. "Of course, I won't say anything. How did you make all this stuff?"

"You'd be surprised how much spare time I have, waiting for you guys to come back from your missions." Nya gave him the Golden Weapons. "You'd better head back before anyone gets suspicious. We'll have to rescue Lloyd another day."

Kai sighed. "Dawn won't like that. He's one of her good friends... And, Nya. Whenever I get in trouble, the other four always have my back. But, you... just... be careful, will you?"

"Promise."

"But, how are you gonna get back?"

"I have my ways." She picked up her helmet and pushed a button.

* * *

><p>Cole, Dawn, Zane, and Jay looked around the desert.<p>

"Kai?"

"Kai!"

Behind the four, the robot whirred to life. It stood up and closed its torso.

"Quick!" Jay yelled as they turned. "Get it! Its gonna get away!"

The rockets roared yet again, and before they could blink, it was gone.

Jay groaned. "Great. Now we lost Kai. The samurai suit is gone. And, we have no way to get home." His remaining teammates turned while he was ranting and Cole said, "I wouldn't say that."

Jay turned as well and started. Kai was at the top of a sandy hill, gripping the Golden Weapons in his hands. The red ninja waved with Cole's scythe.

* * *

><p>"He was all mysterious."<p>

It was night, and the ninjas were getting ready for bed. Kai was telling his friends and his sensei of the samurai while they brushed their teeth.

"Never said a word. Handed me the Golden Weapons and poof! He was gone."

"Poof?" Cole rolled his eyes. "He just poofed?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute, Kai." Jay raised his hands. "If the samurai had his hands on the most powerful weapons in the whole wide world, why would we just give them back to you?"

"Mmm, I dunno. Maybe she- Uh, I mean,_ he_'s not so bad after all. All I _do_ know is that we owe him our lives. Maybe he's made us all a little better."

"I sense this means the bet is off," Zane said.

"I think so." Dawn nodded.

"More importantly," Sensei Wu said, "My nephew has found his way into the den of all snakes! I fear there may be no way of rescuing him, now."

"Sensei," Kai said. "There always a way."

"And, don't worry," Cole assured him. "We'll find it."

Sensei Wu smiled and left their room, closing the door behind him. He passed Nya, who was about to step into her own room and handed her a shuriken in the shape of an'S'. "I think you forgot_ this_?"

Nya took the shuriken and the sensei went on. "Iron sharpens iron. And sibling sharpens sibling."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **_Woot! :D I finally finished the third chapter at 12,667 words! It took much longer than I expected, but I pulled through! I hope you enjoyed this, and I wish to see you all next chapter! Bye!


	4. Sneak Peek!

Hey! Hey, hey, hey~! Guess what? Yup! Dawning Light's back in business! I finally got off my lazy butt and started working on the fourth chapter again! With a lot of help from the amazing Dazzling Fox, this next chapter should be out in a few days!

Now, since I know A/N-only chapters are against FFN guidelines, I'm going to include a sneak peek~! :D

* * *

><p><em><strong>Episode Seven- Tick Tock<strong>_

"Ten minutes!

Kai, Cole, Jay, and Dawn stood, gathered around a stopwatch Kai was holding.

"He just broke his own record- the guy's inhuman!"

Beneath the Bounty, at the bottom of a lake, Zane sat, meditating. A fish swam in front of him and the ninja gently stroked its back. The fish swam away and Zane planted his feet on the ground, then shot to the surface.

Cole laughed. "Amazing!"

Zane grinned and splashed his friends.

"We're not worthy!" Jay backed up and bowed quickly.

"Zane, that was awesome!" Dawn peered over the edge and smiled down at him.

"I broke the record?" the white ninja asked.

"You destroyed it!" Kai exclaimed.

"Okay, okay," Jay said, standing up. "Is anyone thinking what I'm thinking? We've been training for so long, I don't think we can get any better! Just think of all we accomplished!"

And, they had accomplished a_ lot_. Kai had run down a road of hot coals for five minutes without tiring or getting hurt. Jay had stood upside down on the tallest building in Ninjago City for ten minutes, during a thunderstorm, without falling off. Cole had lifted the heaviest weights in the training room, as well as Nya, Jay, and Dawn (who had hidden her glee at being included). And even Dawn had been able to catch halfway up with her teammates and strengthen her power.

"The question should be raised," Zane said. "Perhaps we have reached our full potential."

* * *

><p>Sensei Wu sheathed a katana and sighed as Dawn's voice rang outside.<p>

"I can do two hundred push-ups, now!"

"Well, every morning, I do _five_ hundred push-ups!" Zane's voice was heard

"_Five hundred_?" Kai laughed as the ninjas opened the door to the sensei's room and walked in. "Ha! Try a thousand!"

Jay smirked. "I do a thousand and _one_."

"What is this, amateur hour?" Cole walked in. "Sounds like my warm-up!"

Sensei Wu heard Dawn's gasp of admiration. The old man shook his head. His newest student _had_ to become as strong as her teammates, or she would never be able to help defeat the Serpentine.

Cole went on. "Sensei, what does true potential look like if-" The ninjas grew alert.

"Our apologies, Sensei," Zane said as he and the others bowed. "We've interrupted you."

Sensei Wu put away the katana and sighed again. "I'm sorry if I've been... distant lately. My mind has been elsewhere since Lloyd has gone missing... Wh-what can I help you with?"

"Sensei," Cole said, "what if we've done enough training? What if we've reached our true potential? What if we're ready?"

Their teacher chuckled. "You might have reached peak _physical_ condition, but, you've yet to reach your _inner_ potential." As he spoke, his students listened intently. "In each and every one of us, there are obstacles that hold us back. Only when you conquer that fear will your heart be free. Only _then_ will you reach your_ true_ potential. Only then will we have a fighting chance to stop the Serpentine from releasing the Great Devourer."


	5. Tick Tock

**A/N:** Holy Ninjago, guys. You all stuck with me through this... *starts crying* Crap, I don't deserve all my loyal fans! (That doesn't mean you should go. ;A;) I'm so sorry I couldn't put two episodes into this chapter, but I promise the next one with have the usual two! And as thanks for staying by my side, you guys all get hugs~! *holds out arms* ...Sheesh, I kinda feel like Russia from Hetalia.

OH! I CANNOT FORGET THIS. Everyone, I want to tell you all... the origin of Dawning Light~!

You see, after watching Tick Tock for the first time, I wondered what would happen if Zane had danced with some random girl inside the workshop. That thought kinda stuck with me for a bit... and BOOM! DL was born! Oh! And, did you know, Dawn's name was originally going to be Lillie. ...Yeah...

Also, don't forget to check out the Dawning Light blog! The link is on my profile, towards the top of the profile. ^^

* * *

><p><em><strong>Episode Seven- Tick Tock<strong>_

"Ten minutes!

Kai, Cole, Jay, and Dawn stood, gathered around a stopwatch Kai was holding.

"He just broke his own record- the guy's inhuman!"

Beneath the Bounty, at the bottom of a lake, Zane sat, meditating. A fish swam in front of him and the ninja gently stroked its back. The fish swam away and Zane planted his feet on the ground, then shot to the surface.

Cole laughed. "Amazing!"

Zane grinned and splashed his friends.

"We're not worthy!" Jay backed up and bowed quickly.

"Zane, that was awesome!" Dawn peered over the edge and smiled down at him.

"I broke the record?" the white ninja asked.

"You destroyed it!" Kai exclaimed.

"Okay, okay," Jay said, standing up. "Is anyone thinking what I'm thinking? We've been training for so long, I don't think we can get any better! Just think of all we accomplished!"

And, they had accomplished a_ lot_. Kai had run down a road of hot coals for five minutes without tiring or getting hurt. Jay had stood upside down on the tallest building in Ninjago City for ten minutes, during a thunderstorm, without falling off. Cole had lifted the heaviest weights in the training room, as well as Nya, Jay, and Dawn (who had hidden her glee at this). And even Dawn had been able to catch halfway up with her teammates and strengthen her power.

"The question should be raised," Zane said. "Perhaps we have reached our full potential."

* * *

><p>Sensei Wu sheathed a katana and sighed as Dawn's voice rang outside.<p>

"I can do two hundred push-ups, now!"

"Well, every morning, I do _five_ hundred push-ups!" Zane's voice was heard

"_Five hundred_?" Kai laughed as the ninjas opened the door to the sensei's room and walked in. "Ha! Try a thousand!"

Jay smirked. "I do a thousand and _one_."

"What is this, amateur hour?" Cole walked in. "Sounds like my warm-up!"

Sensei Wu heard Dawn's gasp of admiration. The old man shook his head. His newest student _had_ to become as strong as her teammates, or she would never be able to help defeat the Serpentine.

Cole went on. "Sensei, what does true potential look like if-" The ninjas grew alert.

"Our apologies, Sensei," Zane said as he and the others bowed. "We've interrupted you."

Sensei Wu put away the katana and sighed again. "I'm sorry if I've been... distant lately. My mind has been elsewhere since Lloyd has gone missing... Wh-what can I help you with?"

"Sensei," Cole said, "what if we've done enough training? What if we've reached our true potential? What if we're ready?"

Their teacher chuckled. "You might have reached peak _physical_ condition, but, you've yet to reach your _inner_ potential." As he spoke, his students listened intently. "In each and every one of us, there are obstacles that hold us back. Only when you conquer that fear will your heart be free. Only _then_ will you reach your_ true_ potential. Only then will we have a fighting chance to stop the Serpentine from releasing the Great Devourer."

Zane walked forward. "There's more to the Great Devourer than you've let on." He placed a hand on his sensei's shoulder. "Isn't there, Sensei?"

Sensei Wu sighed once again. "I too have obstacles within my own heart. There's a story I've never told you."

* * *

><p>Two boys stood back to back, each holding a katana.<p>

_**Long ago, when I was a young boy...**_

The boys began play-fighting.

**_... Garmadon and I were more than brothers. We were the best of friends._**

_Wait, a minute!_

* * *

><p>Sensei Wu was pulled from his story as Jay interrupted him.<p>

"Now, I knew you two were brothers," Jay said. "But, really? The king of cruelty, the ruler of destruction, the captain of chaos... and you two were_ friends_?"

"Please," Sensei Wu said. "No interruptions."

He went back to telling the story.

* * *

><p><strong><em>You see... he did not always have a wicked heart.<em>**

Watching the two boys, as well as polishing five golden weapons, was an old man- the boys' father. The boys laughed and fought each other playfully.

**_One day, I lost this very katana._**

The boys frowned as the younger of the two accidentally tossed his katana. They turned to their father.

**_Knowing our father would be mad, my brother told me to go retrieve it._**

The taller of the two boys, Lord Garmadon, pointed to the wall and, not bossily at all, told his brother to get the katana. The smaller boy, Sensei Wu, scrunched up his face and shook his head.

_**But, I refused. He told me not to put off what can be done today, and went to get it himself.**_

Garmadon set down his katana and climbed up the wall. He looked around until he spotted the katana under a bush and reached down to get it. But, a green snake lunged out from the shadows of the bushes and sank its fangs into Garmadon's hand.

Garmadon jumped in fright as his vision swirled. He swayed and collapsed on his side, passing out. The snake slithered away.

**_When my father found him, he was very ill. For he was bitten by a legendary snake that would grow forever as long as it consumes. A great evil had found its way into my brother's heart._**

Little Wu peered into his brother's room, where their father was leaning over his oldest son.

**_For the snake's venom could turn the purest of things wicked._**

"Leave it!" Garmadon shouted, pushing his father away. "Leave me alone! I don't need you! I _hate_ you!"

Wu looked back into the hallway, terrible visions clouding his mind.

**_The snake is the same one the Serpentine want to reawaken today._**

"Ngh!" Garmadon groaned in pain. "It hurts!" The boy looked to his brother, his black eyes, which were widely common in Ninjago, becoming red. "It's all Wu's fault!"

Little Wu's eyes grew wide.

**_The snake... took my brother away from me._**

* * *

><p>"So, the Great Devourer turned your brother into the Dark Lord?" Kai asked.<p>

"... It was all my fault." Sensei Wu's eyes were full of sadness. He closed the case that the katana was in and picked it up. "You five have finished your training. You must now focus on stopping Pythor from collecting the five Fangblades. But, never lose focus on the obstacles that lie within each of your hearts. That hold you back from true greatness. Unlock your true potential."

"But, how are we supposed to do that, Sensei?" Zane wondered.

"it is up to each of you to discover." The sensei walked past them. "Now, I must go on a personal journey of my own."

His students followed him.

"Where are you going?" Jay asked.

"To a place you cannot follow."

"If you're going for Lloyd," Cole said seriously, "The City of Ouroboros is filled with hundreds of Serpentine. You'll never do it alone!"

"I am going to find someone who can be of aid. The Serpentine have united, and grow stronger. We will need all the help we can get."

* * *

><p>The ninjas watched as Sensei Wu walked down a ramp from the Bounty, which was now anchored beside a rock.<p>

Jay waved slowly as Dawn tried stifling a yawn. She was still tired from training all night and never getting any sleep. It was starting to take its toll on her.

* * *

><p>Pythor's tongue flicked out with a low hiss. He and the rest of the Serpentine were in the Constrictai's tomb, reading the paintings on the wall.<p>

"It says nothing about where the five Fangbladesssss are hidden!" Skales hissed. "Have our ancessssstors left us nothing? Where are they?"

"This, here," Pythor turned and slithered to a marble platform, "_must_ be a clue. When five fangs unite as one, the path toward the Devourer has begun."

"Yes," Skales said impatiently,"when the five tribes unite. We've done all this! It means _nothing_! If you don't find out soon, the others will begin to ask questionsssss! And, soon, they will start to think you don't know what you are doing!"

"I know what I'm doing, fool!" Pythor snapped. "I'm trying to unleash the Great Devourer!" His tone grew softer, yet it was still tinged with venom. "Legend spoke of a map showing exactly where the five Fangblades have been buried. There must be something around here... Keep looking!"

* * *

><p>Nya pinned a flyer to the side of a building. The flyer read, <em>Missing. Call Ninja at 555-122091-1. <em>In the middle was a drawing of a Fangblade.

Zane sighed. In his arms were a stack of flyers identical to the one Nya had just put up. "This is silly!"

"D'you have any better ideas?" Cole said.

"Hey!" Jay exclaimed. "Maybe Sensei's gonna go get the samurai for help!"

"Th-the s-samurai?" Kai stammered as he and Nya froze. "Oh, I'm sure she's- uh, I mean, _he's_ busy looking for the Fangblades as well."

"Uh... is everything all right?" Cole asked.

"Y-Yeah! Why wouldn't it be?" Kai said quickly.

"One-hundred-percent!" Nya said, smiling nervously. "We're not hiding anything!"

Dawn narrowed her eyes. "My little sisters and brothers get that tone when they're lying."

Kai's eyes widened. "Um... uh, everything's cool! You don't have to worry, Dawn!"

The yellow ninja frowned. Kai's tone made it clear he wasn't going to tell them anything. "Okay, if nothing's wrong..."

Nya and Kai nodded in unison. While his friends were talking, Zane felt something... unusual. He stared up at the sky. Papers fluttered from his stack, but the ninja didn't pay any mind to them. A man came out of the store Zane was in front of and noticed the papers.

"Hey! Weirdo!" The man nudged Zane roughly, but the ninja ignored him. "Yer making a mess of my storefront!" He put his hands on his hips. When Zane didn't reply, the man grew annoyed. "Yoo-hoo! You got a problem?"

Zane dropped the rest of the flyers and continued staring up at the sky.

"Maybe I should teach you a lesson on manners!" the man said, now angry.

"Maybe_ I_ should teach _you_ not to mess with ninjas!" Dawn came around the corner, her black eyes gleaming with unnatural anger.

"Wha...!" The man was taken aback. His eyes became wide, then they narrowed in fury. "Why you disgraceful little-"

"I'm sorry, sir!" Kai, Jay, Cole ran around the corner as well. "She's not very nice towards people who get mad at her friends. And, uh, _that_ friend is sometimes in another world."

"_He's_ littering all over the place!" the man said. "And _she_ has absolutely no manners!"

Dawn clenched her fists as hard as she could, causing her knuckles to turn white.

"We'll pick it up," Cole said. He, Jay, and Kai bent down and started picking up papers while Dawn and the man glared daggers at each other. "And we'll teach her to mind herself. So sorry."

"Yeah," Dawn hissed, much like the Serpentine. This guy was_ really_ irritating her. "_So_ sorry."

"Hey." Kai stood up with some papers clutched in one hand, and placed his other hand on her shoulder. "Cool down."

Dawn's shoulders slumped and she relaxed, but kept her still-narrowed eyes trained on the man. "Fine."

The man went back into his store after glaring at the yellow and white ninjas. When he was gone, the boys stood up.

"Z_aaaa_ne," Jay whined. "What's the deal?"

The white ninja had stopped beside the store and was still staring at the sky. His friends walked to him and followed his gaze. Up in the sky, flying in circles, was the falcon. Zane stared, mesmerized, and raised a hand in greeting to the bird.

Jay gasped as he and the others ran to Zane. "It's the falcon! Oh my gosh, every time we follow it, it leads us to good fortune!"

He, Zane, Cole, and Dawn ran towards the falcon, while Kai turned to Nya.

"Head back to the Bounty," he said, "and wait for us."

"Wh-where are you going?" Nya asked worriedly.

"We're gonna follow the bird," her older brother replied. "Who knows? It could lead us to the first Fangblade!" He ran off and Nya face-palmed, sighing.

* * *

><p>The falcon led the five ninjas through a desert, through a field, over a snowy mountain. It showed no sign of slowing.<p>

Kai stopped for a moment, looking through the blizzard he and his friends were clambering through. "I guess good fortune is _really_ far away."

The falcon flew to a cliff and its followers began climbing up. Right in the middle of the cliff, Jay settled himself onto a protruding rock, panting. His friends looked at him until he panted, "You... you g-go on... I'll catch up later..."

* * *

><p>Kai, Zane, and Dawn ran over a fallen tree acting as a bridge over a deep chasm. Cole was lagging behind. His teammates made it over, but Cole was literally dragging himself forward. Zane and Dawn turned in concern.<p>

"I'm good," the black ninja said between gasps. "Just... takin' a breather! I'll.. I'll meet up with you sh-shortly!"

* * *

><p>They ran through a green forest. Dawn's chest was heaving, and she was struggling with every breath. Soon, she collapsed on the grassy floor, face-down. Kai and Zane stopped running and looked to her.<p>

"I'm takin' a... nap," she said, her words slurred by the grass. "Don't wait... for me."

Her friends kept going.

* * *

><p>Kai stopped running and put his hands on his knees, pressing down on the red cloth of his suit.<p>

"Good thing..." he panted, "We're in peak... physical... condition." He shook his head and sighed heavily, then ran after Zane, who hadn't slowed down at all.

* * *

><p>The falcon flew through a snowy forest, still going quickly.<p>

"Gosh, that bird just keeps going!" Kai panted as he and Zane stopped. "What do you make of this?" He pointed to a sign that read _Beware of Treehorns_.

"I am not familiar with a... Treehorn," Zane said.

"Probably just some wild squirrels..."

The falcon cawed and Zane looked to it.

"Well, don't lose him!" Kai said. "I'll wait for the other guys to catch up."

Zane nodded and began running again.

"Where are going, my... mysterious friend?" Zane panted, running after the falcon.

Suddenly, the falcon began beating its wings furiously. It stopped flying, then fell to the snowy ground, its chest sparking. Zane headed for it, then stopped when the falcon twitched and sparked again. Zane's expression changed to one of horror.

"You're a... a_ robot_?" Zane said quietly.

He gently picked up the falcon and carried it to a tree, then set it down softly.

A sharp noise, though, forced Zane's head to snap up. He looked around, aware of a robotic-like sound... almost like mechanical legs moving. Zane raised his arms in defense and began moving in a circle, keeping his back to the falcon the entire time.

And then... it was there. A large, golden robot with aqua-blue optics. Beams of light pulsed from its eyes, locking on Zane, who quickly tugged on his hood and prepared for battle.

"_Intruder! Intruder_!" A computerized voice issued from the robot. "_Prepare to be terminated_!"

A laser gun rose from the robot's shoulder and began firing at Zane, who dodged each of the attacks. The white ninja took out his shuriken and transformed them into his motorcycle. He drove off away from the robot, which kept firing at him.

Zane grit his teeth as he dug his feet into the metal of his motorcycle. The robot, though, fired a shot at him that knocked the ninja off his motorcycle. As Zane flew through the air, he got a good look at the robot's back- right where its battery pack was located.

Zane landed on the snowy ground and grabbed his shuriken as they flew back to him. The robot turned to look at Zane and the ninja beckoned it forward with a taunt.

The robot took on the challenge and aimed a gun at Zane, locking onto him perfectly, causing Zane to become worried. With agility, Zane went to a nearby tree and climbed it, then jumped to the ground and yelled, "Ninjaaaaa-Go!" Using his Spinjitzu, Zane flung snow at the robot and immobilized it.

Zane ran up to the robot while it got out its gun and fired. He jumped and the shots missed him by a few inches. The robot tried to target Zane again, but was unable to due to the ninja's agility. Zane ran up to the robot again, hoping to make his mark, and when he jumped, he landed on the robot's back. With his shuriken, he hacked at the battery pack. With each hack on the glass protecting the batteries, the robot did a curious dance before it finally gave the world a salute and fell to the snowy ground.

"The same symbol..." Zane observed, looking at what was left of the battery and climbing off the robot.

He went up to the falcon and picked it up. He walked up to the tree with the same symbol and asked the falcon curiously, "Where have you brought me, my falcon friend?"

He opened the door to the tree and peeked inside. A spiral stair case leading downstairs caught his attention. He ventured inside and took off his mask. What he saw down below looked like a lab of some sort with a bed and a table that contained blueprints. Curiously, Zane went up to the table full of blueprints and placed the falcon on the table.

"So, this is your home, my mysterious friend," Zane said to the falcon, his words more of a statement than a question.

Zane looked over the blueprints of the falcon and then went to fix the falcon with ease. It came back online and flapped its wings. It came to land on Zane's arm and Zane asked, "You brought me here... but why?"

The falcon flew off of Zane's arm as Zane turned around to look back at the blueprints. He looked through them and one in particular caught his eyes. He grabbed it and examined it with curiosity. Once he realized the truth about that particular blueprint, his eyes widened in dismay.

"No! No, it... can't be!" Zane dropped the blueprint and fell to his knees. "No! Nooooooo!"

* * *

><p>Sensei Wu walked through Relic Village, his walking stick in one hand and the katana case in the other. He walked past two Skulkin, who shrieked at the sight of him and ran away, then entered a tea shop that was run by an old woman and her young grandson.<p>

"I would like to purchase some, ah... traveler's tea," the sensei said as the woman walked into his line of sight.

"Never heard of it," she stated in a slightly high-pitched voice, raspy voice.

Sensei Wu furrowed his brow, then set a few coins on the counter.

The lady looked at him suspiciously, then fetched a kettle of water.

"You know," she said, putting in a few tea leaves, "those who drink this never return."

"Then, I will not bother you again." Sensei Wu took the kettle from her and backed away, the door closing behind him.

The old lady and her grandson looked at each other.

* * *

><p>Cole, Jay, Kai, and Dawn walked into the workshop-tree where Zane was lying on the floor.<p>

"Zane?" Kai called out as the four went down the stairs.

"Wow!" Jay exclaimed. "Would you look at this place?" The blue ninja looked down and spotted his friend. "Zane? What's wrong?"

"Oh!" Dawn's onyx eyes widened. "Are you hurt? Did that robot outside injure you?"

When Zane didn't respond, the ninjas began running until they reached him.

"Are you hurt?" Kai repeated Dawn's question.

"You okay?"

Zane sighed. He turned to the blueprints, which were back on the table and grabbed the paper. The ninja looked at it for a moment, then reached down to his chest. With a small pop, a small door on his chest opened, revealing metal gears, wires, and switches. Cole, Jay, and Kai let out yells of horror, while Dawn fell to the floor.

"You're... a _robot_?" Kai exclaimed.

"All this time..." Zane said with a sad tone. "...and I never knew."

Jay's eye twitched slightly.

"Ahh.. guess this explains why you're always acting so weird," he said in a shaking voice. "R-right?" He laughed nervously.

Dawn slowly got off the ground and made a sound like a mouse being stepped on.

Zane gave her a sad look and murmured, "The reason I have never had a sense of humor is because my... 'funny' switch wasn't on." He put his hand to his humor switch and flicked it into the 'on' position.

Instantly, he began dancing and singing while music poured out from a tiny speaker in his chest.

"Hello, my baby, hello, my honey," he sang, grabbing Dawn's hand and twirling her around. "Hello, my ragtime _gaaaaal~!_" Zane spun Dawn around while he held an imaginary microphone and danced. "Send me a kiss by _wiiiiiire~_" He kissed Dawn on the cheek and let the ninja girl go. Dawn twirled around shakily a few times, then fell on her rear, her face bright red.

Jay burst into laughter and clutched his stomach, while Cole helped Dawn, whose eyes were still rotating slightly, off the ground. Zane turned around and flicked his humor switch again, then sighed and fell to his knees. Dawn's eyes filled with tears at his sadness and ran to comfort him. She dropped to his side and gave the ninja a hug, like the one he had given her when she first joined them.

Cole stepped forward. "It just makes you... more special! You're... still the same Zane, just more... uh... _gears_."

"No matter what you're made of," Kai said, walking to his friend, "you're still our brother."

Zane looked up and returned Dawn's hug halfheartedly. "Really?" He got to his feet, then pulled his yellow-clad teammate up with him.

"I bet it makes you an even better ninja," Cole declared.

"Yeah!" Jay joined the four. "And, how cool is it that I can honestly say my brother's a nindroid!"

"A _nindroid_?" Zane looked confused.

"Now, come on." Cole put a hand on Zane's shoulder. "Pythor is still out there, looking for the first Fangblade. And we need you."

Zane faced the wall. "You'll... have to go on without me. I just... don't feel right."

Dawn stepped closer to him and took hold of his hand, giving her friend a small smile. "We can respect your wishes, Zane. You can come out when you're ready." She released his hand and followed her teammates out of the workshop.

* * *

><p>"We just need to give him time," Dawn insisted as she and the others walked out of the metal tree.<p>

"Yeah, " Kai agreed. "I don't know what I would do if_ I_ was told I was a robot."

"You mean a _nindroid_," Jay corrected with a smug smile.

"Yeah, whatever." Kai rolled his eyes.

"Hey, how the heck do we get out of this place?" Cole asked, gesturing around at their surroundings.

The four were quiet for a moment, until a soft pounding reached their ears.

"What's that?"

Jay put a hand to his ear and listened, while Kai and Cole looked around. Dawn merely stepped back, her fear kicking in.

"Cute, tiny birds?" Jay said hesitantly as he and the others pulled on their masks.

"Did you see that?" Cole cried, spotting a few tree trunks move as if they were legs.

"Moving..._ trees_?" Dawn's eye twitched and she took out her boomerang. "Eep..."

"I don't see anything!" Jay took a step back.

"I just saw it, too!"

The ninjas watched in horror as the trees all began moving, revealing them to be not trees, but...

"Treehorns!" Kai shouted.

Kai, Cole, and Jay got out their Golden Weapons and the four went back to back as the Treehorns surrounded them. Kai opened his mouth, about to speak, but a robotic mumble and a spout of nonsense interrupted him. The red ninja turned to see a golden robot lying on the snow, its back sparking,

"Oh no," Kai moaned. "I think that thing was supposed to protect this place! Guys, it's up to us!"

"_What_?" Dawn cried. "Why can't it be up to the universe? It's_ obviously_ got enough power to give us bad luck!"

Jay brandished his nunchucks and charged at a Treehorn. He swung the nunchucks at the Treehorn's legs and knocked it over, but was trapped by another behind it.

"Ninjaaaaa-G- Oof!" Kai was kicked in the middle of his Spinjitzu and slammed to the ground. He shakily got up and crawled to retrieve his sword, but a small group of Treehorns surrounded him and proceeded to continuously knock the air out of him.

Cole grabbed the foot of a Treehorn and swung it around, hitting any others near him, at least until he let go and many more surrounded him. They pinned the black ninja down.

And Dawn? The yellow ninja had stiffened in fear as soon as a few Treehorns came near her. She had scurried up a tree, climbing to the tallest branch, then shut her eyes and tried blocking out everything,

"There's too many of them!" Cole yelled.

Dawn looked down at her trapped friends. She felt her heart almost stop as she took a deep breath and leaped off the tree. She was going to save her friends! She wouldn't be scared anym- The yellow ninja was struck to the ground as a Treehorn swatted her with one of its long legs.

* * *

><p>Zane looked at his blueprints sadly. He traced a finger over his designs.<p>

"A... a memory switch," he said softly.

The ninja opened the door on his chest and located the memory switch. Instantly, his head was filled with once-lost memories.

* * *

><p>"<em>Hello, Zane.<em>" Zane remembered when his creator had woken him for the first time. His creator was a middle-aged man with slicked-back brown hair and black eyes. He had worn glasses.

Zane remembered his creator helping him walk to a mirror, and seeing his reflection. He remembered kicking a ball happily at the wall, only to be knocked down. He remembered his creator nodding approvingly at his attempts to cook.

Zane found more memories, of him hugging a small robot lovingly, of his creator building and activating the falcon, of playing with a little toy car as the falcon sat on his arm. He saw a memory of his creator taking a picture with him, Zane, and the falcon- a family photo.

Zane remembered his creator sitting on the bed, saying, "_You were built to protect those who cannot protect themselves_." as he released a butterfly into the air.

But, he also remembered when his creator, no... _father_, had passed on.

"_You were always the son I never had_," his father had said, his hair now white. "_It's time you began your next stage in life._" His father was taken Zane's hand and continued. "_And the only reason I'm about to do this is because... **I love you**._"

His father had then opened the door on Zane's chest and pushed the memory switch into the off position. Then, he had died.

* * *

><p>Zane stood still as a single tear trickled down his face. The ninja slowly turned around and pulled a cloth off of a hidden picture frame. In that frame was the family photo his father had taken long ago. His father had loved him... and so did his friends. <em>His friends.<em>

Zane allowed the falcon to land on his arm, then he took off running up the stairs.

"Hey, guys!" he shouted. "Wait up!"

He ran out of the workshop, a smile on his face, but that smile quickly disappeared when he saw his friends' limp bodies being pummeled by moving trees- Treehorns.

Zane pulled on his mask and yelled, "Leave my friends alone!"

He ran to the nearest Treehorn and jumped up, then struck the bottom of its lower jaw. He then moved onto the next creature. As he fought, his teammates slowly sat up.

"What's gotten into Zane?" Cole asked numbly as Jay helped him up.

"I don't know," Kai said, standing up. "But, I like it!"

The five ninjas formed a back-to-back circle and shouted, "Ninjaaaaa-Go!" then spun into their Spinjitzu tornadoes and fought off the Treehorns. Cole knocked them down with his scythe. Jay stunned them with his nunchucks. Kai set them ablaze with his sword. Dawn distracted them with her indecisiveness.

"Do I fight them, or run away, screaming? Hmm... Fighting deadly trees and helping my friends, or running away and being safe... "

And Zane? The white ninja was fighting like there was no tomorrow. Knocking them to the snowy ground, stunning them senseless... He was certainly doing a brilliant job. All of them were, even Dawn with her distraction, until the Treehorns began to fall back.

"Are they... regrouping?" Jay asked, hesitation in his tone.

A loud, ear-splitting roar reached their ears. The five ninja turned to the sound.

"What's _that_?" Jay cried.

"The queen," Zane answered.

Dawn looked up at the giant Treehorn. It was much, _much_ larger than the others, with dozens of bright red eyes.

"Running away it is," she squeaked, turning on her heel and preparing to run. Kai caught her by the arm, though, and pulled her back.

"No," he said. "We have to fight it."

"B-b-bu-" Dawn began to protest, but the look in Kai's eyes made her stop. "...Okay."

The queen Treehorn let out a roar again, causing the ninjas to snap into fighting positions.

"You will not hurt my friends!" Zane yelled determinedly. He spread his arms protectively as the other four stepped back. "There is nothing that will hold me back!" He pulled out his shuriken and spun them around in his hands, forcing them to glow a light blue. Energy surged into the golden metal and his eyes started glowing. "_I know who I am_!"

With a blinding flash of blue light, Zane was floating in the air, his eyes completely light blue, and his shuriken spinning wildly. The queen took a few big steps backwards, mildly startled by the human.

"What's happening to him?" Kai wondered aloud. "Is he programmed to do that?"

"It's amazing!" Dawn said in awe.

"I've never seen a robot do that!" Jay exclaimed.

"You mean... a _nindroid_," Cole corrected without looking at him.

"Yeah... whatever."

"Zane's unlocked his true potential!" Cole said as Zane's light grew brighter.

Zane threw his shuriken to the side and dropped into his Spinjitzu. He swirled around the queen, confusing the beast. The ninja flew back into his blue light and smashed his shuriken together, creating a huge beam of ice. The beam hit the queen right in the center of her chest and ice instantly began forming all around her. When she had frozen completely, Zane's arm fell to his sides and his head lolled slightly. His glowing eyes faded back to black and he fell to the snow.

Jay, Kai, Cole, and Dawn gathered around their friend as he slowly got up.

"Ugh... what... happened?" Zane asked wearily.

"That was _awesome_!" Jay cheered.

"Zane, you were _so_ cool!" Dawn cried in amazement, jumping up and down.

"You should've_ seen_ yourself!" Kai said excitedly.

"I've never seen _anything_ like it!" Cole said.

"This must be what Sensei meant about unlocking our hearts," Zane mused, looking at his hands. He stood and faced his friends. "I remember now." He pulled off his mask. "I- I remember everything. I remember my father and how he cared for me. I remember where I came from. And I feel stronger for knowing."

"I'm so jealous!" Cole raised a fist slightly. "His powers are so cool!"

"We have our very own nindroid!"

With that, the ninjas, in a very cliché moment, jumped into the air and high-fived at once. Zane pulled on his mask again and walked away from the group.

"Watch out, Pythor. We're coming to get you!"

* * *

><p>The five Serpentine leaders were gathered around the marble platform in the Constrictai tomb. Pythor was growing ever furious with each passing moment. They still hadn't figured out the location of the five Fangblades. If he didn't figure it out soon, heads would roll. Starting with the ninjas.<p>

The purple snake wearily rubbed his eyes and looked over the platform again, just as Fangtom opened his two jaws.

"Where are-"

"-the five Fangblades?"

"What if there issss no map?" Acidicus hissed from Pythor's right.

"I know, I _know!_" Pythor yelled irritably. "But, I don't know where to _look_!"

"Then, I am taking my staff back!" Fangtom hissed, grabbing his staff.

"Me too!" Acidicus followed the Fangpyre general's lead.

"Me three!" Skalidor grabbed his own staff, knocking the back of Acidicus' head in the process.

Said Venomari general grew angry and beat the top of Skalidor's head. The two staffs were forgotten as the generals began fighting. However, when the staffs hit the floor, the antidote for their powers leaked out onto the ground and mixed. Combined, the green and yellow liquids became a reddish-brown.

Pythor growled and forced the two generals to stop fighting, then slithered over to their staffs. His pinkish eyes widened at the sight of the mixed antidotes.

"That's it!"

"What's it?" Skales was startled by Pythor's sudden outburst.

Pythor quickly picked the staffs up, then gathered the other three. He placed them around the platform so the antidotes would be able to leak out onto the marble.

"The five fangs! It's been right in front of us this whole time! When the five fangs unite as one, the path toward the Devourer has begun! It's not speaking of the five tribes! Its the venom in the five staffs!"

He put a piece of paper underneath the staffs, then waited. With each drip of the antidotes, a part of a map formed on the paper. Drip, drip, drip, until the entire map was formed.

Pythor pulled the paper back out and held it up triumphantly.

"Behold! The locations of the five silver Fangblades! Soon, the Great Devourer will be unleashed! And Ninjago will be ours!"

Then entire gathering of Serpentine burst into cheers and yells. Pythor smirked. They were one step closer to ruling Ninjago.

* * *

><p>Sensei Wu closed his eyes and sighed. He was sitting at the top of the highest mountain in the Mountains of Impossible Height. The tea kettle he had purchased was sitting in front of him, boiling in a small fire. The sensei pressed in hands together in meditation, then stood up and gently picked up the kettle.<p>

He walked around the fire and poured out the tea as he walked. When he had finished, the bright orange flames of the fire changed to blue in a burst of sparks. Sensei Wu picked up his walking staff and his katana case, just as a glowing portal appeared before him.

Sensei Wu sighed, then walked into the portal slowly, leaving behind the kettle and the blue fire, which changed back to orange as the portal disappeared.

* * *

><p>Wu yelled as he tumbled through the portal's tunnel, only to be spit out onto a murky gray ground. He brushed himself off, sighing, then stiffened as a low, raspy voice reached his ears.<p>

"Hello, _brother_."

Sensei Wu turned around. Standing on a hill behind was his brother, _Lord Garmadon._

"What took you so long? Nna-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"


	6. Apologies

Dawn stared at the readers. They stared back. One of her eyes twitched; the ninja was uncomfortable under all these stares she was receiving.

"Where have you been this whole time?" an angry reader yelled.

Dawn jumped, startled by the outburst.

"I-I'm sorry!" she cried. "Author lost interest in Dawning Light for so long; I didn't know what to do! That's why I called you all here. Dawning Light is to be canc-"

"Dawn! I told you, DL isn't to be canceled!" I popped out from behind my character, scaring the poor girl so bad. I waved to all the readers with a huge grin on my face. "That's right everyone, DL is back on track! I'm really, very sorry for abandoning DL for so long, but as Dawn said, it _did_ kinda escape my interest. However, thanks to some pushing from my Ninjago-crazed brother, I've decided to continue with the ninjas' adventure."

Dawn straightened up and removed her boomerang from her back. "And since some of you have been asking what my Golden Weapon does, here's a little demonstration."

She gripped the leather handle on the curved part of the boomerang and shut her eyes. A blindingly yellow light issued from the weapon and caused the first three rows of the audience to cry out in pain from the extreme heat. Dawn cracked open an eye and blinked at the three rows of readers suffering first-degree burns.

"…Author! You didn't tell me it would hurt them!" she squeaked.

I rubbed the back of my head. "Well, fans, it could be worse! You could've had third-degree burns, with what that demon-'rang can do. And, uh, that's it! Jay's and Cole's chapters should be out in a week or so, hopefully sooner. And, again, I'm sorry to _everyone_ for making you wait so long."

Dawn waved a gloved hand. "And thank you to all who are reading this and are still loyal to this story."

I gripped my character's hand and grinned. "Bye, everyone! Have a great day and see you in chapter five!"


End file.
